(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.

Working : "Servant for Life"

Slavery existed throughout the colonies before the American Revolution. A relatively small number of people lived in slavery in the New England colonies compared to other colonies. This was not due to antislavery sentiments, however. Few if any colonists challenged the prevailing belief system regarding indentured servitude and slavery. Rather, economic, social and geographic conditions limited the growth of slavery in New England. These same circumstances resulted in a distinctly New England pattern of slavery.

The land and economy of New England was unsuited to the plantation system of the South and the islands of the West Indies. Few masters in New England owned more than one or two slaves. Masters and mistresses often worked alongside their servants and resided in the same house. These work and living patterns encouraged those purchasing slaves to prefer children to teenagers or adults. John Watts of New York noted that for the northern markets, slaves sold best when they were "young, the younger the better if not quite children. Males are best." Prospective owners reasoned that children were more likely to adjust quickly to life in a new household. They felt that children would be more likely to form loyalties and attachments to the family they served. Masters also believed that African children would learn English more quickly than could adults.

On September 25, 1750, a boy called Prince became the property of Israel Williams. This bill of sale records the transaction that made this nine-year-old child Williams' "Servant for life."

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Bill of sale for slave named Prince