Institutionalized Slavery

Definition

Institutionalized slavery refers to the establishment of laws and systems within a society that legally recognize and regulate the practice of owning and exploiting individuals as slaves. These laws provide a framework for the ownership, treatment, and trade of enslaved people.

Related terms

Slave Codes: Laws enacted by colonial governments to define the rights, restrictions, and punishments applicable to enslaved people.

Middle Passage: The brutal journey across the Atlantic Ocean endured by African slaves who were forcibly transported from Africa to the Americas.

Chattel Slavery: A form of slavery in which enslaved people are treated as personal property that can be bought, sold, or inherited.