How did southerners claim slaves were better off than immigrants workers?

Claiming that slaves were better off than immigrant workers was a common argument among those who defended slavery, particularly in the South. Slave owners argued that slaves were taken care of in ways that immigrant workers were not. Slaves were able to have a place to sleep, constant work, food, medical care and community life in ways that poor immigrant workers did not have. However, people who argued this did not often take into account the quality of these services and the immense value of personal freedom.