Final answer:
Riots in the North against abolitionists were sometimes started by white laborers fearing job loss after slavery's end due to competition from free Black people and immigrants. Northerners valued the free labor system for its promotion of social mobility and industry, while Southerners claimed that northern wage laborers experienced worse conditions than slaves.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the North, people sometimes started riots against abolitionists, claiming that many white laborers would lose their jobs if slavery ended. This fear stemmed from the concern that the end of slavery would increase competition for jobs among white laborers, particularly with the influx of free Black people into the workforce. Moreover, wage workers in the North were already hostile to the abolition of slavery for this reason, and this sentiment intersected with hostilities towards immigration, as new immigrants were also seen as competition in the labor market. This economic foundation for racism suggested that many Northerners feared competing with emancipated people for scarce job opportunities.
It is important to understand that this hostility was not only towards slaves but also towards immigrants who entered the job market, bringing new customs and bolstering the working class. Tensions were raised by the fear of losing the perceived benefits of a free labor system which included social mobility, hard work, and a spirit of industry, values highly regarded by Northerners. Southerners, on the other hand, argued that northern factory workers were subjected to worse conditions than slaves and had no real opportunities for advancement.
These economic and social concerns culminated in diverse responses to the end of slavery, with some Northerners, particularly Democrat-loyal, working-class, urban dwellers, opposing the emancipation out of a deep-seated fear of job competition and underlying racist beliefs.
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