In the late 1700s and mid 1800s, many White southerners justified enslaving people of color for economic purposes. What was the rationale behind their prejudice? They regarded enslaved people as the most educated in agricultural practices. They thought enslaved people would unfairly compete with White people seeking employment. They feared that enslaved people would become the majority of American plantation owners. They regarded enslaved people as a source of free labor resulting in an advantage to slave states.