On Saturday, September 2, 2000, William D. Allen Sr. <ballensr@home.com> wrote: > There is another category of "indentured servants" in addition to the ones > you cite. Many people were brought to the colonies in chains. They were > convicts, many of whom were exiled to Australia as well as here in North > American, primarily in Georgia. Their crime might have been more than > stealing a handkerchief, or even food to keep their family from starving. While such individuals were definitely common in the British colonies, my reference also draws a distinction between them and indentured servants, calling them "debt slaves", due to the involuntary nature of their servitude. Like indentured servants, however, they did have an expectation of being released from their obligation after a stated period of time. Because they were criminals they were probably not treated as well as indentured servants, or even as well as slaves, who as permanent "property" were more valuable. S R C A cott obert ranston nderson phssra@physics.emory.edu