Final answer:
During the revival movement, preachers promoted the spiritual equality of all before God but avoided direct challenges to slavery, instead justifying the existing hierarchical structures. By using selected Biblical passages, they reinforced the idea that obedience to masters was a Christian duty, playing into the hands of slave owners.
Step-by-step explanation:
Preachers of the revival movement in the South advocated for the equality of all before God but maneuvered carefully so as not to challenge the prevailing institution of slavery. As access to the slave population was crucial for them, challenging slavery might have resulted in slave owners barring slaves from attending revival meetings or hearing the Christian message of equality. To avoid this, many preachers tempered their message and, in some cases, used Biblical passages to justify and support the institutional structures of slavery, reinforcing a hierarchical order with the white man as the patriarch, resembling Old Testament models. Slaves were instructed that Christian duty entailed obedience to their earthly masters, thus justifying hierarchical structures rather than challenging or abolishing them.
Religious teachings during this era were partially aimed to instill morals and maintain a sense of religious community, yet they were shaped in a way that supported the slave owners’ control over their slaves, creating a seemingly benevolent relationship while keeping the oppressive system intact.