The most interesting case to compare with in this regard is Britain, which freed its slaves with essentially zero cost in lives--by paying off the slave owners.

The most interesting case to compare with in this regard is Britain, which freed its slaves with essentially zero cost in lives--by paying off the slave owners. I'm not sure that could ever have been on the table in the US given the position abolitionists took, but it's interesting to wonder how things might have gone if it had been.