What was moral suasion? Why was it an effective argument at the time?

Ideal Answer: The ideal answer should:
1. Define moral suasion: During the 1830s the AASS adopted a reform strategy based on moral suasionalso called moral persuasion. This was an appeal to Americans North and South to support abolition and racial justice on the basis of their Christian consciences.
2. Explain that slaveholding, as the AASS argued, was a sin and a crime that deprived African Americans of the freedom of conscience they needed to save their souls.
3. Conclude that it was an effective argument because of the increased religiosity of Americans in the early 1800s.
4. Conclude that abolitionists also argued that slavery was an inefficient labor system that enriched a few masters while impoverishing black and white southerners and hurting the American economy.