chattel slavery

American  

[chat-l sley-vuh-ree, sleyv-ree] / ˈtʃæt l ˈsleɪ və ri, ˈsleɪv ri /

noun

1. the enslaving and owning of human beings and their offspring as property, able to be bought, sold, and forced to work without wages, as distinguished from other systems of forced, unpaid, or low-wage labor also considered to be slavery.

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Etymology

Origin of chattel slavery

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

It is further insulting to gestational carriers, genetic donors, and intended parents to suggest that the mutual creation of a child is somehow akin to the bondage of chattel slavery.

From Slate • May 13, 2026

But again, these chapters codify the Black American experience as one defined by pain and primarily linked to chattel slavery.

From Salon • Aug. 11, 2025

It has been 159 years since the 13th Amendment was ratified, ending chattel slavery.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2024

At the beginning of the year, the Church of England and Church Commissioners published research into the Church's deep implication in the transatlantic chattel slavery.

From BBC • Aug. 20, 2023

Before democracy, chattel slavery in America was born.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander