Question

Over time, how did the nature of slavery change in America?

Mostly Indigenous people were enslaved.
Slavery became more permanent for enslaved persons, but not their families.
Slavery was based entirely on race.
Slave codes protected enslaved persons from cruel and unusual punishment.

Answer 1

Correct answer: Slavery was based entirely on race.

Explanation: In early colonial North America there were various forms of unfree labor (including Indigenous people, indentured Europeans, and Africans), but over the 17th–18th centuries the system transformed into chattel slavery that was lifelong, hereditary, and increasingly codified by law as a racial institution tied to African descent. Slave codes stripped legal rights from Black people and authorized harsh punishments — they did not protect enslaved people. The other choices are therefore incorrect.