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slavery and involuntary servitude were banished except for those who had been convicted of committing a crime. enter convict labor. where imprisoned americans could literally be leased to industries who needed workers. the prison convict leasing system of involuntary servitude filled the labor supply shortage in the southern plantations and in growing businesses like the railroad monopolies who were connecting the nation east to west. it became a huge industry, which relied on incarcerating as many black people as possible to essentially reenslave them. you could get arrested for anything. vagrancy, speaking too loudly in front of white women, true story, or even for just being unemployed. among other work, prisoners were tasked with the deadly work of railroad construction. now, the historian i mentioned, scott reynolds nelson, says that john henry was one of those men. the new york times review of his book details how henry was