"There is not only no free state which would now establish it, but there is no slave state, which, if it had had the free alternative as we now have, would have founded slavery"

This quote by William H. Seward is a powerful statement about the present state of slavery in the United States. Seward is stating that if the states had the alternative to select in between slavery and liberty, no state would have selected slavery. This implies that slavery is an outdated and unfair system that must no longer be tolerated. Seward is likewise implying that the present state of slavery is a result of the absence of totally free options in the past. This quote acts as a suggestion that slavery is an immoral and unjustified system that must not be tolerated in any type. Seward's words are a powerful pointer that freedom must be the ultimate goal of any society which slavery ought to be abolished.