Resolutions of the Nashville Convention, June 10^th 1850

1 Resolved. That the territories of the United States belong to the people of the several States of this Union as their common property. That the citizens of the several States have equal rights to migrate with their property of these territories, and are equally entitled to the protection of the federal government in the enjoyment of that property so long as the territories remain under the charge of the government.

2 Resolved. That Congress has no power to exclude from the territory of the United States any property into lawfully held in the States of the Union, and any act which may be passed by Congress to effect this result is a plain violation of the Constitution of the United States …

5 Resolved. That the slaveholding States cannot and will not submit to the enactment by Congress of any law imposing onerous conditions or restraints upon the rights of the United States, or to any law making discrimination in favour of the proprietors of other property against them.

11 Resolved. That in the event of a dominant majority shall refuse to recognize the great constitutional rights we assert, and shall continue to deny the obligations of the Federal Government to maintain them, it is the sense of their convention that the territories should be treated as property, and divided between the sections of the Union, so that the rights of both sections to be adequately secured in their respective shares. That we are aware this course is open to grace objections, but we are ready to acquiesce in the adoption of the line of 30 deg. 30 min. north latitude, extending to the Pacific Ocean as an extreme concession, upon consideration of what is due to the stability of our institution.