In the debates of 1850, senator william h. seward, as a representative of the northern young guard, argued that

The young representative argued that there was a higher power and authority to which he was answerable and as such every body with the same faith as his would have to obey the laws laid out by the religion christianity. He was also of the opinion that law was higher than that of the United States congress and it have directed him to do away with slavery from all the territories where that was still a practice.