What political strategy advocated compensation to slave owners and promoted avoiding racial conflict?

The strategy that advocated for compensation to slave owners while promoting an avoidance of racial conflict is indeed gradual emancipation. This approach emerged primarily in the early 19th century as a conservative means of transitioning from slavery to freedom. Advocates believed that by compensating slave owners for their lost property, the shift toward abolishing slavery could occur with less resistance and conflict. This was seen as a way to ease the transition and maintain social order, thereby reducing potential tensions between freed individuals and white populations.

In contrast, total emancipation refers to the immediate abolition of slavery without offers of compensation or gradual transition, which often ignited more fervent opposition. Immediate emancipation typically demanded instant freedom for all enslaved individuals, disregarding any phased approach or concern for the impact on slave owners. Abolitionism, while encompassing many activists seeking to end slavery, often included various strategies, not all of which emphasized compensation or the avoidance of conflict. Thus, gradual emancipation stands out as the specific approach that balanced the need for reform with the concerns of those who benefited from the institution of slavery at that time.