Final answer:
Various historic figures had different views on slavery, with President Andrew Johnson seeing it as contrary to a 'white man's government' and suggesting colonization, the Free-Soil Party opposing the extension of slavery to protect white laborers, Virginian Edmond Ruffin defending the institution, and Abraham Lincoln refusing to allow its expansion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question of whether Mr. Williamson agreed with slavery is not directly addressed in the provided references. However, historical attitudes towards slavery varied significantly, with various figures and political parties holding distinct views on the institution of slavery and the rights of African Americans post-emancipation.
For instance, President Andrew Johnson had complex and often contradictory views; he supported freeing enslaved individuals but also believed in a white man's government, suggesting colonization as a solution if both races could not coexist. Meanwhile, the Free-Soil Party and figures like Wilmot were opposed to the extension of slavery into new territories, arguing that it harmed white laborers and small farmers, and not necessarily because of concern for Black people's welfare.
Virginian Edmond Ruffin and James Henry Hammond defended slavery, believing it provided for the enslaved and created a class hierarchy that benefited white people. President Abraham Lincoln, on the other hand, refused to compromise on the spread of slavery, even if it could potentially reunite the Union. Lastly, Adam Smith criticized slavery as inefficient and doomed to fail in a free market, though he minimized its horrors using rational choice theory.