Ironies of the master/slave relations

What I have found most interesting so far about Genovese's book is his ability to show the ironies that occurred from slavery. The first comes in the chapter on paternalism. Genovese shows that slaveholders justified their use of slavery by needing to direct and care for the blacks they had under their control. One way the slaves were directed and cared for was by giving them Christianity. Christianity gave them their greatest weapon against the slaveholders by teaching them that they were of value and equal in the sight of the Lord. Another interesting irony I found amusing came from the law that forbid blacks to testify against whites. Genovese gives some great scenarios where this law would ironically hurt the white slaveholders even more than the slaves. He gives the one example that is perfect in which a white man started a slave rebellion, yet he could not be convicted because the slaves were not allowed to testify. A final interesting point Genovese brings up is the constant need to redefine the status of a slave to fit the needs of the slaveholders. An example would be when the slaveholders wanted to convict slaves of crimes. If a slave is just property without human qualities how could the slaveholders hold them accountable. However, if they are indeed people than the slaveholders would have to redefine what the slaves really are and justify how they can own them as property. I don't know how others thought about these things, but I found them very interesting.