Southerners argued that slave labor was superior because slaves and slaveholders came to depend on one another. The relationship was considered by southerners to be mutually beneficial.
Southerners argued that slave labor was superior for reasons including cost-effectiveness, stability in the workforce, its essential role in the agricultural economy, and a paternalistic view that positioned slaveholders as caretakers of enslaved individuals. These arguments highlight the socio-economic system built around slavery in the South. Ultimately, the rationale for slavery was deeply flawed and ignored the humanity of those enslaved.
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