Answer: C. They became free.
Explanation:
James Henley Thornwell was an American Presbyterian preacher who was an avid supporter of slavery and believed that it Christianity allowed for it. He even went so far as to label those against slavery as Atheists and anti-Christians.
It is no surprise therefore that James Thronwell believed that enslaved people were only free not when they gained actual freedom, but when they listened to their masters. To him this meant that they were doing what they were supposed to do which could only give them freedom and contentment.