Just as ardently as abolitionists opposed the institution of slavery, many citizens of the United States supported the benefits of owning human beings and keeping them in servitude as property. Slavery was not America's finest hour, but anti-abolitionists saw nothing wrong with the practice, arguing three key beliefs for why slavery should be sanctioned: economic, religious and legal. The American South became increasingly dependent on the lucrative cotton industry. The wealth and status associated with cotton prompted plantation expansion westward (Tindall & Shi, 2010, p. 438, para. 2). Large plantations required enormous labor forces to harvest crops, and African slaves were cheaper and more readily available than European indentured laborers. “They could more easily be purchased from traders on the West African coast and were more immune to European diseases than Native Americans or imported white slaves” (Nash, A., n.d.). Freeing the slaves, slavery proponents argued, would have a profound economic impact on the South, where the use of slave labor was imperative to their success and survival. Additionally, freeing four million slaves for the benefit of the population would create competition for jobs and resources. The religious argument defending slavery referenced biblical passages and claimed that slavery was sanctioned by the Bible. Clergymen of all faiths joined the conflict. “Didn’t the patriarchs of the Hebrew Bible keep slaves? Had not Saint Paul advised the servants to obey their master and told the fugitive servant to return to his master? And hadn't Jesus remained silent about it, at least as far as the Gospels recorded his words? (Tindall & Shi, 2010, p.436, para.4)...... middle of paper ......a.1). It was a slippery slope of interpretation and vision, driven by majority interest. The institution of slavery is indeed a curious practice. It dehumanizes man based on whatever attribute the slave owner considers unworthy, and assigns value to human life as property, something to be used and discarded. There were many arguments in favor of slavery, but none ultimately prevailed, because there is no valid argument that supports the idea that any human race is less valuable as human beings and does not deserve freedom and protected rights simply because of the color of their skin. Although the arguments for slavery seemed compelling in the circumstances of this era in history, there was growing awareness that owning a person was immoral, and outspoken abolitionists were gaining momentum in their fight for equality for all men..