Final answer:
In the mid-1600s, a system of slavery was officially established in the American colonies, with laws shaping it into an institution integral to the colonial economy and culture, becoming widespread by the late eighteenth century.
Step-by-step explanation:
Slavery in the American Colonies
The laws that established an official system of slavery in the American colonies began in the mid-1600s. Slavery formed a cornerstone of the British Empire and, by the time of the American Revolution, it was deeply entrenched in colonial society. The English crown chartered the Royal African Company in 1672 to accelerate the transatlantic slave trade, cementing the practice of chattel slavery. While the North began to gradually abolish slavery post-Revolution, the South, with its agricultural dependence, saw an expansion in slave numbers and ingrained legal structures to support this system.
By the late 1600s, early slave laws based on the Barbados slave codes were adopted, categorizing Africans as property rather than persons. Moreover, by 1760, approximately 350,000 enslaved Blacks were distributed across the colonies, and slavery had become a national institution, vital for the economy and ingrained in the colonial culture.
In summary, mid-1600s colonial America saw the institutionalization of slavery, heavily influenced by the established systems in places like Barbados. This was followed by a rapid expansion and legal entrenchment of slavery throughout American colonies, making it a prevalent and defining aspect of colonial life and economy.