As the nineteenth century progressed, protests against slavery from both black and white people grew louder and more insistent. Plantation owners attempted to justify their use of slaves by claiming that their "bondsmen" were content with their servitude and that most were treated with kindness —and since most slaves by that time were born into bondage, they knew of no other life. This attitude was the main argument against ending slavery, an argument that was belied by the constant quest for freedom exercised by runaway slaves.

Those held in captivity needed only to look at their masters and other free people to see the advantages of freedom. Even in the Deep South there was a small minority of blacks who had been granted freedom by their masters or had worked after hours at extra jobs in order to buy their way...