Refers to the legal condition or position held by individuals who were enslaved. It determined their rights, freedoms, treatment, and whether they were considered property or human beings under the law.
Related terms
Enslavement: The act of forcing individuals into a state of servitude, where they are deprived of their freedom and treated as property.
Emancipation: The process of freeing enslaved individuals from bondage or servitude.
Legal rights: Protections and entitlements granted to individuals by the law.