Final answer:
The first group of people to be enslaved during this time period were African Americans. The first Africans were brought to the Virginia colony of Jamestown in 1619 and sold as indentured servants. However, by 1705, Virginia passed the slave codes declaring that any foreign-born non-Christian could be enslaved, and that enslaved people were considered property.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first group of people to be enslaved during this time period were African Americans. The first Africans were brought to the Virginia colony of Jamestown in 1619 and sold as indentured servants. However, by 1705, Virginia passed the slave codes declaring that any foreign-born non-Christian could be enslaved, and that enslaved people were considered property. This marked the beginning of racial slavery in the New World.