Introduction
The formative years of the United States were characterised by slave labour and unequal treatment of workers who mostly worked in farms. In different parts of the United States people were settling and finding arable land. This necessitated the acquisition of labour to till the land which bred the necessity for skilled complementary jobs such as masonry, carpentry, weaving, and shoemaking among others. The labour demand in the US varied from one part to another and so was the treatment of skilled and unskilled labourers though in most cases the latter used to be treated in better way.
In the early centuries of colonization, people in the United States lived mostly in the rural areas where they practised farming. There existed casual labourers as unskilled labourers while artisans and hired crafts men were hired as skilled labourers. Skilled sail-makers were in high demand in seaports such as Boston and Charlestown while the demand for labour was so high that land owners turned to using African slaves (Dubofsky, 5). The slaves were deployed as unskilled labourers in tobacco, rice and cotton farms. Skilled labourers included carpenters, shipwrights, masons, smiths, tailors, glaziers (glass makers), coopers (barrel makers) and printers. Initially skilled craftsmen worked independently but as centres of population grew the master workmen employed apprentices and journeymen who worked on wages.
Land owners in Virginia and Massachusetts needed labourers to till their vast lands. Settlers in these areas required gardeners, fishermen, diggers of tree roots, carpenters, husbandmen among other farm labourers. In Plymouth, there were a huge number of artisans and craftsmen. These labourers worked as feltmakers, cobblers and tailors. The puritans who had settled in Massachusetts Bay in 1630 had a high number of people to till their lands (Dubofsky, 6). However, the number of labourers was not enough since more land needed to be tilled to feed the growing rural and urban populations.
The demand for skilled labourers kept increasing and colonists were compelled to take up skilled jobs. They trained as masons, carpenters, shoemakers and weavers. They were to serve in the Southern plantations and in New England where there was overwhelming demand for mechanics and artisans (Dubofsky, 5).
There was a great disparity in the manner in which various parts of America met their demands for labour. The circumstances of early settlement and the natural environment of New England led many farm and business owners to relay on free workers. The southern part of the country was, however, reliant almost entirely on African slave labour. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries most of the labor force was recruited from indentured or negotiated servants. The three sources of labour for the indentured servants included men, Women and children whose articles were signed before leaving the Old World, the free-willers and the redemptioners (Dubofsky, 5). All these groups of workers were categorised as bound servants who worked without wages and were fully under the control of their masters.
The demand for labour used to be met through the forced immigration of people from England to serve in areas such as America where there was shortage of labour. Paupers and criminals were rounded up on flimsy grounds and sentenced to serve in foreign lands such as Maryland. The colonial immigration of people was a way to effectively redistribute labour from the sated English market to the hungry colonial market in America. Indentured servitude represented both skilled and unskilled labour with majority of labourers belonging to the former category (Dubofsky, 5).
After the slaves had arrived from overseas they used to be sold in public. The skilled labourers were bought at higher prices as opposed to the unskilled labourers. The treatment accorded to the labourers also varied greatly. In Virginia and Maryland the workers whether skilled or unskilled were subjected to relatively less hard and continuous labour. During the summer for instance, they used to get 5 hour break away from the scorching sun. This was unlike the conditions they faced when in England.
Conclusion
The demand for labour in the US during the colonial period was marked by several dynamics. Skilled sail-makers were in high demand in seaports such as Boston and Charlestown while the demand for labour was so high that land owners turned to using African slaves. The slaves were deployed as unskilled labourers in tobacco, rice and cotton farms. While Virginia was deficient of farm labourers and other unskilled labourers, Massachusetts had ample supply of unskilled labourers but soon their demand increased and the two regions were compelled to use slave labour. Slave labour was commonly used in the Southern states. Plymouth had plentiful supply of skilled labourers such as artisans. Both the skilled and unskilled were exposed to harsh slave treatment although skilled labourers were more highly valued since some colonialists also used to perform skilled labour jobs.
Works Cited
Dubofsky, Melvyn, labor in America. A history. Seventh ed. State university of New York at Binghamton.
