Answer: Educated enslaved people would have threatened their authority
Step-by-step explanation:
There is a saying that ''Education is power'' and this was what the Southern whites feared during the slave era. They were concerned that if enslaved people became educated, they would be able to survive on their own without the need for dependence on their white masters. This economic emancipation would have dealt a severe blow to slavery.
They were also concerned that educated enslaved people would be able to defend themselves legally against their white masters which would eventually lead to their freedom and this was simply unfathomable to the white masters.