As fiercely as abolitionists fought the institution of slavery, many citizens of the United States argued for the benefits of owning human beings and holding them in bondage as a piece of property. Slavery was not America's finest hour, but anti-abolitionists saw nothing wrong with the practice, holding three key beliefs that slavery should be sanctioned: economic, religious, and legal. The American South became increasingly dependent on the profitable cotton industry. The wealth and status associated with cotton drove westward plantation expansion (Tindall & Shi, 2010, p.438, para. 2). Large plantations needed a huge workforce to harvest the crops, and African slaves were cheaper and more readily available than indentured laborers from Europe. “They could be purchased more easily from traders on the West African coast and were more immune to European diseases than indigenous Americans or imported white slaves” (Nash, A., n.d.). Freeing slaves, pro-slavery advocates argued, would have a profound economic impact on the South, where dependence on slave labor was critical to their success and survival. Furthermore, releasing four million slaves into the general population would create competition for jobs and resources. The religious argument in defense of slavery referred to biblical passages and asserted that slavery was sanctioned by the Bible. Clergymen of all denominations joined the dispute. “Didn't the patriarchs of the Hebrew Bible keep slaves? Hadn't Saint Paul advised servants to obey their masters and told the fugitive servant to return to his master? And hadn't Jesus remained silent on the subject, at least to the extent that the Gospels reported his words?” (Tindall & Shi, 2010, p.436, par.4)...... half of the document ...... a.1). It was a slippery slope of interpretation and vision, driven by the interest of the majority. The institution of slavery is, in fact, a curious practice. It dehumanizes man based on whatever attributes the slave owner deems unworthy and assigns a value to human life as property, something to be used and discarded. There were many arguments in favor of slavery, none of which ultimately prevailed, because there is no valid argument to support the idea that any human race is less valuable as human beings and does not deserve freedom and protected rights simply because of slavery. color of his skin. Although the arguments for slavery seemed convincing given the circumstances at this historical moment, there was a growing awareness that owning a person was immoral, and avowed abolitionists were gaining momentum in their fight for equality for all men..