A debtors' prison is a prison for people who are unable to pay debt. Until the mid-19th century, debtors' prisons (usually similar in form to locked workhouses) were a common way to deal with unpaid debt in Western Europe. Destitute people who were unable to pay a court-ordered judgment would be incarcerated in these prisons until they had worked off their debt via labour or secured outside funds to pay the balance. The product of their labour went towards both the costs of their incarceration and their accrued debt.
Kentucky abolishes debtors' prisons
A debtors' prison is a prison for people who are unable to pay debt. Until the mid-19th century, debtors' prisons (usually similar in form to locked workhouses) were a common way to deal with unpaid...
Historical Significance
A debtors' prison is a prison for people who are unable to pay debt.
Events Before
Russian Antarctic expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev discover the continent of Ant
Russian Antarctic expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev discover the continent of Antarctica
5th US President James Monroe's daughter Maria is the first child of a President to marry in the White House
5th US President James Monroe's daughter Maria is the first child of a President to marry in the White House
The famous ancient Greek statue Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos
The Venus de Milo or Aphrodite of Melos is an ancient Greek marble sculpture that was created during the Hellenistic period.
British PM Robert Peel (32) weds Sir John Floyd's daughter Julia at St George's, Hanover Square in London
British PM Robert Peel (32) weds Sir John Floyd's daughter Julia at St George's, Hanover Square in London
Astronomical Society of London (now the Royal Astronomical Society) founded in England
Astronomical Society of London (now the Royal Astronomical Society) founded in England
Events After
Italian opera composer (The Barber of Seville) Gioachino Rossini weds 1st wife, opera singer Isabella Colbran, in Bologn
Italian opera composer (The Barber of Seville) Gioachino Rossini weds 1st wife, opera singer Isabella Colbran, in Bologna, Papal States (now Italy)
Nephew of Napoleon, biologist and ornithologist Prince Charles Bonaparte marries cousin Zenaide Bonaparte
Nephew of Napoleon, biologist and ornithologist Prince Charles Bonaparte marries cousin Zenaide Bonaparte
Pedro I, son of King John VI, declares Brazil's independence from Portugal (Independence Day)
The Brazilian War of Independence (Portuguese: Guerra de Independência do Brasil) was an armed conflict that led to the separation of Brazil from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the...
French scholar Jean-François Champollion announces he has deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphs using the Rosetta Stone
Jean-François Champollion, also known as Champollion le jeune ('the Younger'; 23 December 1790 – 4 March 1832), was a French philologist and orientalist, known primarily as the decipherer of Egyptian...
French "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" author Victor Hugo (20) weds Adele Fourcher (19) in Paris, until her death in 1868
French "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" author Victor Hugo (20) weds Adele Fourcher (19) in Paris, until her death in 1868
More from the 1820s
Godert van der Capellen resigns as Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies
Godert van der Capellen resigns as Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies
The Dutch Trading Company (NHM) is granted a monopoly on the sale of opium in Java and Madura
The Dutch Trading Company (NHM) is granted a monopoly on the sale of opium in Java and Madura
Naturalist and entomologist Thomas Say (39) secretly weds natural science illustrator Lucy Way Sistare (26)
Naturalist and entomologist Thomas Say (39) secretly weds natural science illustrator Lucy Way Sistare (26)
American religious leader Joseph Smith Jr (21) weds future church group movement leader Emma Hale (22) in South Bainbrid
American religious leader Joseph Smith Jr (21) weds future church group movement leader Emma Hale (22) in South Bainbridge, New York, until his death in 1844
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on December 17, 1821?
- A debtors' prison is a prison for people who are unable to pay debt. Until the mid-19th century, debtors' prisons (usually similar in form to locked workhouses) were a common way to deal with unpaid debt in Western Europe. Destitute people who were unable to pay a court-ordered judgment would be incarcerated in these prisons until they had worked off their debt via labour or secured outside funds to pay the balance.
- Why is Kentucky abolishes debtors' prisons significant?
- A debtors' prison is a prison for people who are unable to pay debt.