Proslavery - A History of the Defense of Slavery in America, 1701-1840 by Larry E. Tise

A good reference book, but it focuses more on who the proslavery writers were than on what they actually wrote. However, the essential facts of their arguments are presented. Of course, without the actual words of the writers how can we judge how persuasive they might have been? No matter how ludicrous the facts behind an argument, the power of the argument owes much to how it is presented.

One thing I found that I never knew - most of the proslavery clergymen were Presbyterians! Maybe it was all part of the predestination thing...