noun
- immigrants to colonial America who worked as indentured servants to pay off their passage debt
Usage: historical
Examples
- Many German redemptioners arrived in Pennsylvania during the 18th century.
- Redemptioners typically worked for four to seven years to pay their debt.
- Ship captains sold redemptioners’ contracts to colonists who needed laborers.
- Unlike slaves, redemptioners eventually gained their freedom after completing their service.
- The redemptioner system provided cheap labor for colonial farms and businesses.
- Families of redemptioners were sometimes separated when their contracts were sold to different masters.