Final answer:
The correct answer is option a) They argued for its economic benefits.
Step-by-step explanation:
Proslavery whites defended slavery—referred to as the "peculiar institution"—by asserting its economic benefits. They argued that the South's reliance on cotton and slave labor was crucial for its economy and independence, despite increasing its dependency on the U.S. and world markets. Southerners employed paternalism to justify slavery, suggesting that enslaved persons were better off under the care and so-called moral instruction of their owners. They also believed that protecting slavery was essential to uphold the southern way of life, particularly the notion of White supremacy and the defense of southern White womanhood.
Elite southerners developed several arguments to support slavery against abolitionist sentiments. For example, they claimed that slavery was a positive good that allowed White men to avoid manual labor, instead letting them pursue higher callings. More so, they believed that enslaved people were given the opportunity to be exposed to Christianity and civilized living. Lastly, proslavery advocates felt that the federal government had an obligation to protect their property rights, even when it compromised the rights of others.
In contrast, antislavery sentiments wanted the West to be reserved for White labor and opposed the expansion of slavery as it would lower the status and economic opportunities for non-slaveholding Whites. This demonstrates the significant divide and conflicting views between those who supported slavery and those who opposed it.