This page is referenced by:

• 1 2017-03-09T18:12:50-08:00 Quotation Analysis 6 plain 2017-03-23T18:16:58-07:00 In the late 1800's, the area of southern Africa was volatile; Where there was European civilization, there was hatred and racism toward the native people. This racism, along with the large amount of natives under indentured servitude, came with many of these natives being under control of these people with no care for their lives. In southern Africa, life for these natives in indentured servitude became like a euphemised form of slavery. While pay was given in exchange for work, the native's lives were completely in their "master's" hands, as described by Fox Bourne: "if they are in the service of humane masters, mindful of their own interest and moral obligations, they may be properly lodged and fed, not overworked, and fairly recompensed; but from the cruelties of brutal masters, perpetrated in cold blood or a drunken fit, the natives practically have no redress." (79) Given that indentured servitude was provided on terms, usually of 3 months, if a worker signed a contract with one of the masters who turns them into quasi-slaves, they couldn't do anything about it, without risking jail time or worse.
  
  
  The employers of the indentured servants in South Africa had complete control over their "servants" after the contract was signed. If the servants were to over step any boundaries, they would be punished with, "Imprisonment, with or without hard labor, in default of the payment of a fine, 'for negligence, insolence, drunkenness, desertion, insubordination, or other misconduct, on complaint of the master'" (Bourne 45) Bourne saying "on complaint of the master" has implications that the masters could simply say that their servants had done something they perceived as insubordination or misconduct and make them do hard labor. The natives in South Africa had very little platforms to fight back against wrongdoings done toward their people, so fighting against false accusations was near impossible at the time.