Why did southerners opposed ending slavery?

Answer 1

It is basic economics: if slavery is outlawed, they lose their property (slaves) and their ability to make a living (growing crops). They also have to compete for jobs and goods with the freed slaves, and deal with the consequences of an impoverished lower class.

Of course, they could have just paid their ex-slaves a lower wage, which is what happened after Reconstruction.

Answer 2

the southern states were unwilling to do away with slavery because they did not have the industrial base that the northern states had nor the manpower to get their goods to the markets and ports where they needed to go.

Answer 3

Slavery in the south put most poor southerners out of work, for the little paid work around it drove the wages of those who did work down to subsistance level, it created a huge visible wealth gap with slave owners living a life of oppulent luxury, which must have generated bad feeling.