Those who defended slavery had a number of arguments to justify the institution. They said it would destroy the economy of the South. Without slave labor they could not raise cotton, tobacco or rice. Freeing the slaves would cause widespread unemployment, it would lead to uprisings, bloodshed and complete chaos. They pointed to the French Revolution as an example. They pointed out slavery had existed all through history. It was in the Bible and even Abraham had slaves. Their legal argument pointed to the Supreme Court of the United States who decided in "Dred Scott v. Sandford" (1857) that blacks were not citizens but were property.