Hawkeye3 said:

I have to write an essay in response to this question:

Why did the institution of slavery command the loyalty of the vast majority of antebellum whites, despite the fact that only a small percentage of them owned slaves?


I have brainstormed, and came up with the following reasons:
They feared blacks, and their numbers. They wanted to opress them as much as possible.

Out of tradition, it was simply a way of life for blacks to be slaves.

Poor farmers someday hoped to own slaves themselves.


Any other ideas?

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Redstorm said:

Quote:

I'm not sure if that was really a reason. Pat Robertson doesn't own any slaves.

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Learyfan was right. Many slaveholders used Christianity to legitimize their ownership of slaves.

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