1. Indentured Servitude: Involuntary labor was used in the form of indentured servitude. Individuals, often from Europe, signed contracts to work for a set period, usually seven years, in exchange for passage to the colony. They worked on the plantations to fulfill the terms of their contracts.
2. Slave Trade: The colony actively participated in the transatlantic slave trade, acquiring enslaved Africans from West Africa. These enslaved individuals were forced to work in harsh conditions on plantations as a permanent source of labor.
3. Coerced Native Labor: Many colonies forced indigenous populations to work on plantations. This was achieved through various means such as enslavement, forced labor, and economic coercion, leading to significant exploitation and abuse.
4. Penal Labor: In some colonies, prisoners and criminals were sentenced to hard labor as punishment. These individuals were often sent to plantations to work.
5. Debt Servitude: Colonists who could not repay their debts were sometimes required to work on plantations as a form of payment.