The Transformation of the Defense of Slavery During the early 1800s the demand for cotton had increased and it was now "King" of the plantations in the southern region of the United States, where the climate was more suited . Now more than ever, slavery had become an essential component of nearly every cotton plantation. Southerners knew slavery was wrong, but they justified it; Within 30 years these justifications changed due to abolitionist movements (in the northern half of the country) and economic reasons that made cotton and slavery more profitable than ever. a necessary evil. They thought that Negroes were as helpless as children, without foresight or faculties that would allow them to depend on anyone other than the white race. Southerners considered themselves the great people who helped accelerate the transition process of this inferior tribe; the process from barbarism to civilization. They felt that slavery benefited the slaves; heaven forbid the slaves were free,...