uis to
             Mrs. Emerson. This was when Scott argued that under the terms of
             the Missouri Compromise, the fact that he and Dr. Emerson lived
             in Illinois and Minnesota made him a free man. The Missouri
             Compromise did not allow slavery in whatever territory that
             remained from the Louisiana Purchase north of a specific line,
             36o 30' of north latitude.(Hopkins 32-34)
             At this time the issue of slavery was a major concern.
             The Mexican War provided the United States with a lot of new
             territory,and the question of the future of slavery in the
             territories was on everyones mind. The people of the North who
             were against slavery wanted Congress to prohibit slavery in the
             John C. Calhoun, the spokesman for the South, said that
             Congress did not have the right to prohibit slavery in the
             territories. The Southern attempt to extend the line of the
             Missouri Compromise failed, so their only hope was Calhoun's
             constitutional criticism of Congress' attempt to prohibit slavery
             in the territories. This was why they plunged themselves
             completely behind Calhoun's ideas. Calhoun argued that the
             territories were "the common property of the states of this
             Union. They are called the' territories of the United States,'
             and what are the ' United States' but the States united? Sir,
             these territories are the property of the States united; held
             jointly for their common use." This statement beautifully
             illustrates how extreme the Southern view of state sovereignty
             was. It was the Southern belief that the states should have the
             right to declare slavery in their states and it is beyond
             congressional power to prohibit slavery."(Kutler 36-38)
             Southerners believed that their very existence depended on
             an equal amount of slave and free states. They realized that if
             Congress prohibited slavery in the territories there would be no
             more equality of slave states and free states.
             The Northern view was based ...