Indentured servants, in hopes of finding a better alternative to the poverty they experienced in their country of origin, took advantage of offers of free transport to America and contractual work once they got there. Labor-intensive businesses such as tobacco growing prospered through the use of cheap indentured labor. Once their contract was completed, these laborers hoped to strike out on their own, with a small bonus given to them by their masters at the completion of their contract.
According to Merriam-Webster, an artisan is "a worker who practices a trade or handicraft." In the early days of America, before the Revolutionary War, artisans came from England and other places because the overabundance of labor in their native land made work scarce. As indentured servants, their transportation was paid for and they were guaranteed food and lodging. The goal possessed by most was the eventual freedom to practice their artistry independently.
An artisan is not by definition an indentured servant, but upon becoming one, leads a life much like any other indentured servant. The similarities lie in the impoverished circumstances of both and their intention to eventually become more prosperous. Artisans, however, were skilled workers. Other indentured servants, such as those laboring on farms, were not.
Modern-day artisans sometimes sign a contract for a given period, but the master-servant relationship that bordered on slavery ceased being openly practiced in the U.S. by the late 19th century. The Contract Labor Law of 1885 forbade individuals and companies to import contract labor from other countries. However, because of the large number of undocumented workers in the United States, violations of this law might go undetected.