peonage

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The peonage system lasted across the South for seven decades until World War II, yet many Americans have never heard of it.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 23, 2021

“They opposed all forms of free labor—not just slavery but serfdom, peonage, unpaid apprenticeship,” she said, peering at some undergraduates in front.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 31, 2018

Alabama yeomen had returned from the Civil War to face a sea change in agriculture, with those formerly independent farmers joining former slaves in peonage to the large landholders.

From New York Times • Sep. 30, 2017

Before Brandeis joined the court, John Marshall Harlan wrote two landmark dissents about racial segregation and discrimination; Justice Charles Evans Hughes wrote a majority opinion about the evils of Alabama’s peonage system.

From Washington Post • Jun. 8, 2016

It is difficult to determine how extensive the practice of peonage may be or how many victims may be held in its prison house.

From Peonage The American Negro Academy. Occasional Papers No. 15 by Hershaw, Lafayette M.