The excerpt below is from Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852). Ain't I yer master? Didn't I pay down $1,200 cash for all there is inside yer old cussed black shell?
Ain't yer mine, now, body and soul?" he said, giving Tom a violent kick with his heavy boot. "Tell me!"
In the very depth of physical suffering, bowed by brutal oppression, this question shot a gleam of joy
and triumph through Tom's soul. He suddenly stretched himself up, and looking earnestly to heaven,
while the tears and blood that flowed down his face mingled, he exclaimed-
"No! no! no! My soul ain't yours Mas'r! You haven't bought it-[you] can't buy it...
Which statement about the conditions of people in slavery is supported by this excerpt?
A Even in the South, enslaved people were recognized as possessing certain basic rights.
B Unlike Northern factory owners, Southern slave owners felt a sense of responsibility for their slaves.
C Many enslaved individuals maintained an attitude of independence and self-worth despite social
oppression.
D Enslaved workers in the South could generally depend on receiving generous support from their
owners in their old age.