Indentured servants were prevalent in Maryland during the early years of the colony. Men and women from England emigrated to the New World with the hope of eventually acquiring a tract of land. To achieve this, they sold their labor as indentured servants in exchange for their freedom after fulfilling their term of service. On average, servants were indentured for a duration of 5-6 years, after which they earned their freedom. From this standpoint, one cannot conclude that the labor of servants was coerced. Rather, the servants chose to work as indentured servants with an eye towards a better future.
An indentured servants contract from Colonial America
Hierarchies in Colonial Maryland
There were relatively few landowners in Colonial Maryland. Those that did own land were almost all Catholic. Most of the servants, conversely, were Protestant indentured servants. In no other colony, and certainly not in England itself, were Catholics at the top of the social and economic hierarchy.
Summary
Maryland was designed as a profit making society. As a result of the social and economic system, Maryland operated as a stratified society.
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