The US was the 'city upon a hill': Using early Puritan ideology abolitionists saw the US as a beacon of equality and freedom which slavery spit in the face of.
The US had been a model for political philosophy and an experiment which was mostly a success but slavery was a flaw. Abolitionists believed we could not be a beacon of freedom with the system in place. The US government refused to deal with the issue and compromises furthered the practice instead of limiting or eliminating it.
For prisoners music was a source of resistance, inspiration, unity, solace, and solidarity.
I think I just wanna say my opinion The Wilmot's goal Proviso amendment would have closed California and New Mexico to slavery in 1846 as a requirement for their annexation, but Congress did not pass the proviso.
It established a new immigration policy based on reuniting immigrant families and attracting skilled labor to the United States.