How did defenders of slavery use the concept of paternalism to structure their ideas?

Defenders of slavery, such as George Fitzhugh, argued that only the clever and the bright could truly benefit within a laissez-faire economy. Premising their argument on the notion that slaves were, by nature, intellectually inferior and less able to compete, such defenders maintained that slaves were better off in the care of paternalistic masters. While northern workers found themselves trapped in wage slavery, they argued, southern slaves' needs-for food, clothing, and shelter, among other things-were met by their masters' paternal benevolence.