Indentured servant was a system where the settler, who signed on for a temporary period of servitude to a master in exchange for passage to the New World. Indentured servitude, unlike slavery, existed for only a period of years. Upon the completion of service, indentured servants in most colonies received "freedom dues." At first, the colonies often made land grants. In early Maryland, for example, perhaps as many as 90% of indentured servants received land upon completion of service. Eventually, however, the colonies turned to either monetary payments or payments in kind by the master. Although early 17th-century indentured servants had a degree of economic mobility, by the 18th century such mobility had diminished. For example, according to one study, by 1745 only 9% of Pennsylvania indentured servants received land.
