Why Did Chesapeake Slave Owners Increasingly Rally to the Patriot

Why did Chesapeake slave owners increasingly rally to the Patriot cause?

A) Southern slave owners needed northerners' support to ensure the preservation of the institution of slavery throughout the colonies.
B) The southern gentry blamed British economic regulations for the drop in their standard of living to a level below that of northern farmers.
C) They feared the British would seize control of courts and assemblies in the South if they succeeded in doing so in Massachusetts.
D) They conducted most of their economic transactions through Boston or New York,which were already embroiled in the crisis.