Final answer:
The legal status of Africans in 17th century colonial America worsened as laws were passed that defined racial inequality and heritable slavery, notably with Virginia laws from 1640, 1662, and 1667, and a Maryland law in the 1660s.
Step-by-step explanation:
The legal status of Africans in 17th century colonial America deteriorated as various laws were established that progressively institutionalized slavery and racial discrimination. Initially, Africans could be servants with a path to freedom, but a series of legislative acts removed those paths and hardened racial divides.
- Virginia law from 1640, excused blacks from mandatory militia service, which indicated a separation in responsibilities and rights compared to whites.
- By 1662, in Virginia, it was decreed that a child inherited the status of the mother, making the institution of slavery heritable.
- Also in the 1660s, a Maryland law confirmed that children born to a slave mother would be slaves regardless of the father's status. Finally, in 1667, Virginia passed a law stating that conversion to Christianity did not entail freedom for a slave.