A common argument during the mid-1800s was whether new U. S. states would be admitted as: free or slave states. independent republics or democracies. part of the U. S. or part of Mexico. territories or reservations.

By the beginning of the 19th century, slavery in the U. S. was firmly established with a series of statutes and penal codes enacted in various states to regulate the activity of slaves and all conduct involving slaves and free blacks. With the Louisiana Purchase, the question of slavery became both geographical and political, and ushered in a period of national debate between pro - and anti-slavery states to gain political and economic advantage. But by 1820, Congress was embroiled in the debate over how to divide the newly acquired territories into slave and free states.