¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord. (Philemon)

There is no biblical basis for the slave owners of the Southern part of United States to have hidden behind a few misinterpreted verses of  the Bible to justify their practice of slavery. Paul urged Philemon to no longer consider Onesimus as a slave but as a dear brother, thus destroying a biblical justification of the institution of slavery which considers a black person inferior to a white person. 

Please read Philemon. And Listen!

May the Lord richly bless you!