Who argued that slavery was beneficial in the South as slaves were treated as family?

The assertion that slavery was beneficial and that slaves were treated as part of the family is most closely associated with George Fitzhugh. He was a prominent pro-slavery advocate in the antebellum South, known for his writings that rationalized and defended the institution of slavery. Fitzhugh argued that slavery was a positive good, positing that enslaved people were better cared for and lived more secure lives under the system of slavery compared to free laborers in the North, whom he described as being exploited. His work often highlighted the idea that the relationship between slaveholders and enslaved individuals was akin to a familial bond, suggesting that this structure was beneficial to both parties. Fitzhugh's views represent a significant ideological underpinning of the pro-slavery argument during the period leading up to the Civil War.