This was a question many considered during the pre-civil war era. Some politicians leaned towards this view of people themselves choosing to have or not have slavery in the territories by approving popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty allowed each territory to vote on whether or not they would adopt slavery in their territory. However, many abolitionists were adamant about not expanding slavery into the new territories. Southern plantation owners usually supported slavery in the territories because they could use the land to expand and make more money. Tensions rose between the two groups even with popular sovereignty.
