Even though enslaved, Uncle Tom lived an excellent Christian life, and is an example to all in living out the Gospel; but Southern pastors, ever on the side of Plantation owners, approved the practice of slavery,- obtaining most of their affirming verses from the Old Testament, and several from the New. The only openly anti-slavery verse that I know of in the Bible is a warning to "slave traders" written by the Apostle Paul; he also said that if you were a slave, not to let it bother you, but if you can gain your freedom legally, to do so.
A literal reading of the Bible doesn't forbid the practice of slavery, but it does, in the spirit of the Golden Rule, warn against mistreatment (and also, if everyone then practiced the Golden Rule, there wouldn't have been slaves, but that wasn't a reality). In the present day, America is past the practice of slavery, thanks be to God and also a special tribute of thanks to the Northern states who fought the Civil war for slaves' freedom. Africans owe a great deal of thanks, not to mention heart-felt gratitude and respect, to the Northern men and women who sacrificed so much on their behalf.
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