If you had been a moderate Southerner at the time, list two legitimate arguments you might have used against the call of the radical abolitionists for the immediate release of all slaves with no compensation to their owners.

 

First Argument

The sudden end to slave economy will kill the economy of the South since it relies on slave labor completely. Slave labor is the foundation of South's economy and abolishing slave entirely will lead to the collapse of people's lives. The tobacco, cotton and rice trade would cease to exist. The owners will run into debt and the people will fall into poverty almost instantly. 

Second Argument

If slavery is abolished, there will be chaos due to widespread unemployment. Abolition of slavery will lead to several African Americans to lose their jobs resulting in anarchy, bloodshed and uprising. The French Revolution is an example of such happenings. If the slaves are employed by the farms, it will lead to a higher price of goods since the slaves will need to be paid. Eventually, the cost of living will go through the roof resulting in uprising in the end.