Question

What did indentured labour mean?
A) Cheap labour
B) Free labour
C) Bonded labour
D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint: In history, this type of labour has been used to pay for apprenticeships. It was used when an apprentice agreed to work for free for a master tradesman to learn a trade, or any other occupation to get a grasp of the field. It was similar to a modern-day internship, except they didn’t get paid in money but in knowledge.

Complete answer:
Indentured labour, also called ‘indentured servitude’ is a form of labour in which a person or an indenture agrees to work for someone without any salary. This is done for a specific amount of time, by signing a contract for eventual compensation or repayment of a debt. Like any loan, this ‘indentured servitude’ could also be sold. Like regular enslaved workers, the prices of ‘indentured labourers’ also fluctuated. Once the indenture was paid off, i.e. the time specified on the contract was over, the worker was free. Some generous employers also gave them land as a gift or bonus.

Now let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Cheap labour – We cannot say that indentured labourers were cheap labour because as mentioned above, their prices varied with demand. They could sometimes be cheap or they could even be expensive. Therefore, this option is incorrect.
Option B) Free labour – Free labour is a very close term because we know that these workers worked for free. But it was not a hundred percent free. This was because the workers were only working to pay off a loan, debt or compensation. Depending on the value of the loan, the time span of their work was determined. Therefore, this option is also wrong.
Option C) Bonded labour – This term describes ‘indentured labour’ the best. It is because these workers would sign a contract or a bond which determined the time period for which they would work and the amount of loan, or compensation that they were trying to pay off. Therefore, this is the correct option.
Option D) None of these – This option is wrong, as we have established that Option C) is the right answer.

Thus, the correct answer is option (C) i.e, Bonded Labor.

Note: In India this practice of indentured servitude began when slavery ended in 1833. The main purpose why the Europeans used this labour was to provide sufficient workers for sugarcane plantations. The indentured labour system was banned in India in 1917, but it continued to operate until 1920, after which it was completely snuffed out.