The passage is most likely referring to B.) Indentured servants. The mention of immigrants who died soon after arrival and the concept of "seasoning" aligns with the experiences of indentured servants in the Chesapeake colonies during the seventeenth century. They often faced harsh conditions and high mortality rates, especially during their initial period in the colonies.
Use the passage below to answer the question.
What group of people is passage MOST likely referring to?
Demographic conditions also shaped Chesapeake society during the seventeenth century. For one thing, life was short. A substantial number of immigrants died soon after they arrived, victims of a now vague complex of diseases that contemporaries called "seasoning." How many failed to live through the first year is unknown, but the figure was high enough to provoke frequent comment. And, although the chances of survival increased as the seventeenth century progressed, the Chesapeake colonies were considered dangerous to new arrivals as late as 1700, particularly during late summer. Many...who survived seasoning, furthermore, did not live to complete their terms.
- Carr and Menard, "Immigration and Opportunity," 1979
A.) Enslaved Africans
B.) Indentured servants
C.) Plantation owners
D.) Representatives in the House of Burgesses
1 answer