Final answer:
People misused science to justify slavery through pseudo-scientific theories asserting racial inferiority and biological determinism of Africans, claiming they were suited for labor. These claims were not supported by rationalizations to maintain slavery. Modern science has since debunked these theories as unethical and factually incorrect.
Step-by-step explanation:
People misused science to argue in favor of slavery by perpetuating pseudo-scientific theories of racial hierarchy and biological determinism.
These beliefs, however, were not substantiated by legitimate scientific evidence and were primarily based on prejudice and societal norms of the time rather than on factual data or rigorous scientific methodology.
One major argument put forward by proslavery advocates was the notion that Africans were biologically and genetically predisposed to field labor, which Thomas Jefferson and other scientists and physicians of the time claimed.
They argued, without evidence, that Africans could withstand labor and climate conditions better than Whites – notions that were simply leveraged to justify the subjugation and enslavement of African people.
The arguments were not sustained by credible evidence; rather, they were rationalizations to uphold an economic system that benefited slaveholders. Confronted with modern understanding, these theories have been debunked and are recognized as unethical exploitations of science to justify human rights abuses.