Indian slavery in colonial times within the present limits of the United States

This study lifts a long‑overlooked chapter of early American history into view: the enslavement of Native peoples throughout the colonial period. Drawing on scattered legal records, missionary reports, and unpublished manuscripts, the author maps how indigenous, Spanish, French, and especially English colonists incorporated Indian bondage into their economies. The narrative begins by describing the diverse ways tribal societies themselves practiced captivity—often mixing adoption, punishment and trade—before the arrival of Europeans deepened and reshaped those customs.

The book then follows the evolution of the institution under European rule, detailing how colonial laws blurred the line between “Indian” and “Negro” slaves and how diverse labor roles—from household service to mining and agricultural work—were imposed on captured natives. By exposing regional differences, legal ambiguities, and the human dimensions of this forgotten slavery, the work offers listeners a nuanced understanding of the complex foundations of America’s early labor systems and the lived experiences of the peoples caught in them.