Don't forget that many of our early ancestors were sent against their will to the "New World" by the courts for crimes committed in England and for debtors crimes. So they didn't come to this country as "Free" men.

Only those who had their passage paid for by patrons were given the right to be indentured servants and the privilage of purchasing their freedom after a certain numbers of years of service to either that patron, or whomever bought that indebtedness.

Remember the penal colony of Australia? Well a lot of that happened in the American colonies in the 1600's.