John Casor was the first person to be enslaved for life in 1654
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The first person to be enslaved for life in the United States was John Punch, an African servant who was sentenced to a lifetime of servitude in 1640. This judgment marked the beginning of the legal establishment of slavery based on race in British North America.
An indentured servant was typically under contract to work for a set period of time in exchange for passage to a new location or other benefits, and they had the potential to gain freedom after fulfilling their contract. In contrast, an enslaved person was owned as property for life, with no rights or ability to earn freedom.
An enslaved person is an individual who is forced to work without pay, under coercion, threat of violence, or other forms of control by another person or entity. Their freedom is restricted, and they are treated as property rather than as a human being with rights.
During a slave auction, enslaved individuals were brought to a public space where they were inspected by potential buyers. Auctioneers would then start the bidding, and the highest bidder would win ownership of the enslaved person. The enslaved person had no say in the matter and would be forced to go with the winning bidder.
The laws passed in 1662 were in the colony of Virginia and established that the status of a child followed that of the mother, meaning that children born to enslaved women would also be enslaved. This legal doctrine was called partus sequitur ventrem. It essentially made all descendants of enslaved women the property of their mother's owner for life.
Enslaved refers to the state of being owned and controlled by another person, usually without having the ability to escape or make independent decisions. It involves being forced to work without pay and enduring physical or psychological abuse.