In a message dated 9/13/00 6:19:10 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Booboopies writes: << You are certainly entitled to your opinion, Mary Jane, but I urge you to use caution and not to judge our ancestors' lifestyle, as their goals and frame of reference were very different from ours. And indentured servitude was not a fancy English word, but a matter of law. >> Hi Karen, I stand corrected on the Amish, being from Holland. I don't know were my mind was at that moment, but yes they are from Switzerland. In reguards to judgeing my ancesters, I am not doing so. I am pointing out things I see, in relation to the topics at hand. I further do not believe that all Indentured Servents had a very good life.My WEB POST, prove that. As far as the word Indentured Servent, it came out of England, and was there polite way of calling a human being a slave.Seeing how most the people who we are speaking of, were at the time under Penn and English rule,I respectfully disagree. England made sure to send us their criminals as well.So I have to wonder how many came by force, and how many came out of a need to have a new life, in the America's.Now as far as the laws, well I have alot of questions there? Were was the law when treaties were broke with the Native American people? Why was our Constitution signed by a slave owner?Oh, I think I know. When they said all men were equal, they must have meant all white men who owned property.Well the laws leave alot to be disired back then. And as far as the Servents of the Pa people, well it was new land and much had to be done. I suppose they had to work the land somehow.They did so off the backs of there brothers and sisters.My opion only. I thank you for your comments on Indentured Servents , because I am here to learn as well. Mary Jane, Bright Star