Final answer:
Proponents of slavery argued that it served to 'civilize' and Christianize Africans, utilizing a paternalistic justification that was a gross misrepresentation of the true cruelty and dehumanization caused by slavery. This view was perpetuated despite the active resistance and community-building of the enslaved.
Step-by-step explanation:
The individual that is mentioned believed that slavery was a means of civilizing and Christianizing the continent of Africa. This view aligns with a common justification used by proponents of slavery during the antebellum period. They contended that enslaved Africans would benefit from Christian teachings and a more 'civilized' lifestyle, despite the utterly inhumane conditions and dehumanization inherent to slavery. People like Thomas R. Dew and George Fitzhugh used biblical and historical evidence to suggest that slavery was beneficial to both the master and the slave and to defend the institution of slavery as necessary for the progression of civilization.
However, this paternalistic viewpoint grossly misrepresented the brutal reality of slavery, a system that inflicted severe trauma and was a devastating human disaster. The enslaved population did not passively accept their conditions; they actively resisted and sought to create their own communities and affirm cultural identities against the backdrop of oppression.