Final answer:
The abolition of slavery in the U.S. was a prolonged struggle involving emancipation efforts in the North, abolitionist advocacy, and resistance from Southern slaveholders. Final emancipation came with the Civil War and the Thirteenth Amendment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process of the abolition of slavery in the United States was complex and multifaceted. Early pressures to end slavery began with the contradiction of enslaved individuals fighting for liberty during and after the Revolutionary War, leading to gradual emancipation in the North. Slave rebellions and the vocal abolitionist movement, which featured leaders like William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass, raised public consciousness about the evils of slavery. However, the process also involved intense opposition from Southern slaveholders who benefitted economically and politically from the institution.
Ultimately, the statement that best summarizes the abolition of slavery in the United States seems to be 'A. The United States did not abolish slavery until after many Latin American countries did because it faced opposition from powerful slaveholders.' This reflects the resistance from parts of American society that delayed the abolition process compared to other nations.
Gradual emancipation was adopted by northern states, and individual manumission was practiced by some slaveholders. The struggle against slavery also took on violent forms, exemplified by insurrections and radical abolitionists like John Brown. The culmination of these efforts was the Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, which set a path for the eventual abolition of slavery with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment.