[Texaggie79]

In Philemon doesn't Paul say he is sending his son, not as a slave, but as an brother?

[Cleburne]

Exactly. This is the great beauty of Christianity, and equality in Christ. Unfortunately, slave owners in the South did not really follow this maxim. Certainly some treated their slaves well, but I doubt whether any ever considered them as brothers. It was generally considered that slaves were something like children, and to be treated as such. This idea was continued after the war, though it subsided to more oppressive ideas (what does one do when the children decide not to be chidren?).