AP US History question:

By the 1840s many northern Americans had come to see slavery as an evil, while many southerners defended the institution as a positive good. What arguments did each side marshal in support of its case?

The main argument used by the northerners was that slavery was an inherent evil that went against both God's will and the US Constitution. The southerners argument was mostly that blacks were unable to take care of themselves, and needed the "heavy hand" of the whites.