Which Statement BEST Captures Slaveholders' Attitudes Toward the Punishing of Their

Which statement BEST captures slaveholders' attitudes toward the punishing of their slaves?

A) Masters' paramount concern was for the safety of themselves and the broader white community,and so they favored harsh penalties,including the death penalty,even for small offenses.
B) Masters' concern for their self-image and their desire to protect their investment led them to prefer meting out justice on their own rather than to resort to courts of law.
C) Masters generally believed that only by adhering firmly to the statutes established by slave codes could they maintain discipline over their slaves.
D) Masters preferred to punish their slaves through the courts rather than to punish them personally because they wanted slaves to look at them as benevolent masters.