Before the late 1600s, Virginia planters generally preferred white indentured servants to enslaved Africans as a source of labor because

Question

Choose 1 answer:
Choose 1 answer:
(Choice A) Indentured servants were cheaper than slaves
A
Indentured servants were cheaper than slaves
(Choice B) Racist ideas led planters to value white workers more than black workers
B
Racist ideas led planters to value white workers more than black workers
(Choice C) The terms of indenture contracts required white servants to perform more labor than enslaved people
C
The terms of indenture contracts required white servants to perform more labor than enslaved people

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

(Choice A) Indentured servants were cheaper than slaves.

Before the late 1600s, many Virginia planters preferred to use white indentured servants because they were generally less expensive to acquire than enslaved Africans, especially when factoring in the lifetime costs associated with slavery. Indentured servants were contracted for a specific number of years, after which they would be free, whereas enslaved individuals were considered property for life. While racism and other factors influenced perceptions of laborers, the economic considerations primarily drove the preference for indentured servitude during that period.