U.S. History Mr. Goodman Name: ___________________________________ Unit 2: Citing Evidence “Tobacco and Indentured Servants”, from Cayton, Perry, Reed and Winkler’s America: Pathways to the Present, 2007 (Modified) During the early years of their settlement, one thing saved the Virginia colonists from failing completely: tobacco, a plant native to the Americas. To produce large crops of tobacco, planters needed laborers to work the fields. Many farmers in England had recently lost their land. England was swarming with young people in search of food and work. One of the few choices open to these people was to sail to Virginia. Many, however, did not have money for the voyage. To pay for the crossing, they became indentured servants. These were people who had to work for a master for a period of time, usually seven years, under a contract called indenture. In return for their work, their master paid the cost of their voyage to Virginia and gave them food and shelter. Some were promised a piece of land at the end of the indenture period. Historians estimate that between 100,000 and 150,000 men and women came as servants to work in the fields of Virginia and neighboring Maryland during the 1600s. Most of them were 18 to 22 years of age, unmarried, and poor. Few indentured servants lived long enough to claim their land at the end of their service. Among Virginia’s indentured servants were some Africans – the first to settle in the present day United States. The first group of about 20 Africans arrived in 1619. Their numbers remained small, however. Standard: RH.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of information. 1. True of false: The success of the Virginia colony depended on its ability to produce and sell a new product that had not been previously available in Europe. Use citations (in the correct format) to defend your answer. U.S. History Mr. Goodman Name: ___________________________________ Unit 2: Citing Evidence 2. True or false: There was plenty of land available in England for anybody there who wanted to start a career as a farmer. Use citations (in correct format) to defend your answer. 3. Explain what an indentured servant was using a combination of both your own words and citations from the text. Your explanation should include at least three details about indentured servants, and each detail should be supported by a citation. 4. The source on this worksheet is a secondary source. It was written by four historians who used many primary sources to gather their information. Add a footnote citation to the source to explain where they got their information from: first, put a number after one of the sentences in the source (your choice); next, put that same number at the bottom of the source and make up a primary source the historians might have used to get the information they needed to write the sentence you picked.