Nothing official would make an individual eligible for enslavement in colonial America, for the simple reason that European settlers could not be held as slaves in the colonies. Often slavery and indentured servitude are discussed as being equivalent in nature when they are not.
Indentured servitude was a major practice in the colonies, especially early in colonial history. An indentured servant was an individual who received passage to America in exchange for a term of bondage to a master. Indentured servants were mistreated by some masters, though the servants were granted some legal protections and provided with the opportunity to sue an abusive master. Additionally, indentured servants were free citizens at the termination of their term. Slaves, by contrast, were fully considered chattel property for the duration of their lives, with the designation extending to their children as well.
Indentured servitude may also have been practiced in some areas of the American colonies to cover outstanding debts, but there is no evidence that this was a significant or widespread practice.
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