Many of these great men were slaveholders; but they did not let self interest blind them to the evils of the system. –“Professor Hedrick’s Defence,”
October 4, 1856

Why does Hedrick make the point that "many of these great men were slaveholders”?

to show that being slaveholders turned even great leaders into evil ones
to show that even some slaveholders opposed slavery
to show that slavery was a just practice and should continue
to show that even great leaders were afraid to stand up against slavery