How did plantation owners in the Southern colonies justify their use of enslaved Black Africans?

Answer 1

Justifications included: "They are just property, they have no rights." "They are sons of Cain and should be punished." "The money was spend getting them from Africa, they must work it off."

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The Bible is/was the #1 justification. All throughout it are mentions of slaves. There are many references to slaves and slavery in the bible. No matter what it said, it never comes out and says "slavery in and of itself" is wrong, and considering how often it is talked about in the bible, as normal and usual way to live - people across the globe inferred slavery must be fine, otherwise the bible would have prohibited it like it does other sins in the 10 commandments. One reason was that the slaves were not deemed human by their captors, the slaves were nothing more than cattle and were branded as such. Another reason and the most powerful of reasons was borne from the words written down in the Christian New Testament. Slave masters considered themselves greater than human beings hence, slaves were answerable to their Masters... "Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling; and do it with a sincere heart, as though you were serving Christ. Do your work as slaves cheerfully, as though you served the Lord and not merely human beings." (Ephesians 6:5&7). Masters however, were answerable to Jesus, their Master in heaven. "Masters, be fair and just in the way you treat your slaves. Remember that you too have a Master in heaven." (Colossians 4:1). Of course we know the latter wasn't always followed. The religion of Christianity played a very important part in making slaves feel inferior and dependant on their captors. The 26 books of the New Testament are the laws and teachings of men, not of God. The law of God protected slaves. Slaves had rights, a Hebrew slave was to be freed in the seventh year: "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve you for six years. In the seventh year he is to be set free without having to pay anything." (Exodus 21:2). The slaves who were captured by the Europeans and shipped to the Caribbean and to the Americas were the descendants of the Israelites whom God delivered from Egypt. The truest justification for slavery is found in the book of Deuteronomy 28:15-68. God warned his people what would happen to them if they disobeyed his laws: "Who gave Israel up to the looters? It was the Lord himself, against whom we sinned! We would not live as he wanted us to live or obey the teachings he gave us." (Isaiah 42:24). But all is not lost, God's love for his chosen people is everlasting: "How can I give you up, Israel? How can I abandon you? Could I ever destroy you as I did Admah, or treat you as I did Zeboiim? My heart will not let me do it! My love for you is too strong." (Hosea 11:8). God will punish the oppressors of his people Israel but first they must return to him and obey his laws: Deuteronomy 30:1-10, Ezekiel 38:1-23. All scriptures taken from the 'Sunrise Good News Bible'

Slavery was justified by the false notion of white supremacy. The slave owners and traders were savages, but in turn lied and reversed that and justified slavery by saying that the slaves were savages. They were saying that the slaves were backward people and naked (abominations). However, it is true that although there was some nakedness in Africa, there was little to no sexual psychosis there (pornography, incest, sexual perversion). But when Blacks were enslaved and brought here and began wearing clothes, they actually had taken on the sexual psychoses of Western whites, adopting whites' sexual deviations.

Answer 2

They said that the slaves were much better off in America than they would have been in Africa.

As the tensions mounted in the 1850's, they put pressure on the church ministers to declare that slavery was the perfect God-given arrangement of man and master.

Answer 3

Ever since African slaves had been brought to Jamestown, the British and then the Americans justified using slaves in order to lessen the cost of growing tobacco and cotton. Slavery was an accepted institution in the Western Hemisphere and in many other parts of the world. Also, Whites considered Black African slaves to be an inferior race. Therefore slavery not only helped crop production, but placed Africans in the "correct" place in the white social structure.

Answer 4

scientific article and exerts from he bible