While most people almost automatically think of the antebellum period (the first half of the nineteenth century) and the Civil War when the issue of slavery is raised, the initial period of settlement in the North American colonies provides a crucial lens into the origins of racialized slavery. Summarize how slavery developed in the colonies, including the fluidity in terms of early categories of labor and race, and how slavery became better defined in law and practice.

While most people almost automatically think of the antebellum period (the first half of the nineteenth century) and the Civil War when the issue of slavery is raised, the initial period of settlement in the North American colonies provides a crucial lens into the origins of racialized slavery. Summarize how slavery developed in the colonies, including the fluidity in terms of early categories of labor and race, and how slavery became better defined in law and practice.