enslavement

American  

[en-sleyv-muhnt] / ɛnˈsleɪv mənt /

noun

1. the act of taking or holding someone as a slave.

   Until his death, Bartolomé de las Casas worked to prevent the enslavement of the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean.

2. the state or condition of being held in slavery.

   During their enslavement, African Americans were prevented from learning to read or write.

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Etymology

Origin of enslavement

enslave ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )

Example Sentences

Critics have also voiced concern about the classification of African enslavement as "the gravest crime against humanity".

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Accidents and misfortunes, especially being captured in wartime, could lead to enslavement.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

Now, the story leaves off, still focused on the woman who escaped the bonnet and cloak and not about the trappings of her enslavement.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2025

At the Legacy Museum, visitors experience 400 years of American history that includes enslavement, racial terrorism, and mass incarceration.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2025

Although slavery is mostly associated with the American South, the entire country, as it grew, benefitted from the enslavement of people, primarily Africans and African Americans.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Related Words

• servitude
• slavery