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White Servitude and the Growth of Black Slavery in Colonial America

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  • Galenson, David W.

Abstract

The role of white servitude evolved in a similar way during the American colonial period in those West Indian and southern mainland colonies where slavery became quantitatively important. The change from primary reliance on bound white labor to the use of slaves occurred in two steps, with an initial transition from servants to slaves in unskilled field work, followed some time later by widespread training of blacks and substitution of slaves for servants in skilled occupations. The timing of the two steps can be explained as a function of the changing relative costs of indentured and slave labor in the markets for unskilled and skilled labor.

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  • Galenson, David W., 1981. "White Servitude and the Growth of Black Slavery in Colonial America," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 41(1), pages 39-47, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:41:y:1981:i:01:p:39-47_04
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    Cited by:

    1. Barry Chiswick & Timothy J. Hatton, 2003. "International Migration and the Integration of Labor Markets," NBER Chapters, in: Globalization in Historical Perspective, pages 65-120, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. repec:ksp:journ3:v:1:y:2015:i:3:p:144-160 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Rosenbloom, Joshua L., 2018. "Antebellum Labor Markets," ISU General Staff Papers 201802270800001040, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    4. Scott A. Carson, 2021. "International Migration and Net Nutrition in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries: Evidence from Prison Records," CESifo Working Paper Series 9411, CESifo.
    5. Rosenbloom, Joshua L., 2018. "The Colonial American Economy," ISU General Staff Papers 201802270800001039, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    6. John Komlos, 1993. "A Malthusian episode revisited: the height of British and Irish servants in colonial America," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 46(4), pages 768-782, November.
    7. Alex Armstrong & Frank D. Lewis, 2017. "Transatlantic wage gaps and the migration decision: Europe–Canada in the 1920s," Cliometrica, Journal of Historical Economics and Econometric History, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), vol. 11(2), pages 153-182, May.
    8. Bose, Pinaki & Compton, Ryan A. & Basu, Arnab K., 2020. "Paying for freedom: Indentured labour and strategic default," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 502-511.
    9. James S. CICARELLI, 2015. "Economic Thought in Eighteenth CenturyAmerica Prior to Indepencence," Journal of Economic and Social Thought, KSP Journals, vol. 2(3), pages 144-160, September.
    10. David Mitch, 2010. "Chicago and Economic History," Chapters, in: Ross B. Emmett (ed.), The Elgar Companion to the Chicago School of Economics, chapter 8, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    11. Gavin Wright, 2020. "Slavery and Anglo‐American capitalism revisited," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 73(2), pages 353-383, May.
    12. Esposito, Elena, 2015. "Side Effects of Immunities: the African Slave Trade," Economics Working Papers MWP2015/09, European University Institute.

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