Final answer:
Religion was a tool of control for slave owners and a source of comfort and cultural continuity for enslaved people. It reinforced the power structure of slavery while also providing a foundation for community and resistance among the enslaved. After the Civil War, religion helped African Americans secure self-determination.
Step-by-step explanation:
Religion was important to both slaveholders and enslaved people during the period of enslavement in the United States for several reasons. For slaveholders, religion was used as a means of control; they manipulated religious teachings to promote the idea of servitude and obedience, reinforcing their power over the enslaved. Slave owners sought to create a sense that they were benevolent masters who took interest in their slaves' morality and religion, thus maintaining the moral order that justified slavery.
For the enslaved, religion provided comfort, hope, and a way to keep African traditions alive. Despite the oppressive environment, they managed to maintain dignity and humanity by forming kin networks and mixing African religious practices with Christian elements learned from their enslavers. Christian Spirituals and the creation of family units were ways for enslaved people to foster a sense of community and continuity of African culture.
Moreover, the period before the Civil War saw a surge in Protestant Evangelicalism in the southern states, which led to more substantial conversion to Christianity among the enslaved. After the Civil War, religion continued to serve as a means of securing self-determination for African Americans.