Okay, so this is actually really interesting. It gets into how in the US, when we talk about slavery, we are specifically talking about chattel slavery as it was practiced in the Americas. And there’s actually a pretty strong argument that American chattel slavery is, if not unique in world history, it is more aberrant than other force labor systems throughout world history.

Absolutely mass incarceration, and the force labor system that goes along with it are incredibly distinct from American style chattel slavery, but this is because they’re arguably more in line with what slavery, distinct from chattel slavery, ‘usually’ meant. Basing a forced labor system off of race is more or less a modern phenomenon . There’s some nuance, but slave codes basically make up the core of available written records on the development of race as a cultural concept. [big ol’ FOR THE WEST label here]