"When we acquired California and New- Mexico this party, scorning all compromises and all concessions, demanded that slavery should be forever excluded from them, and all other acquisitions of the Republic, either by purchase or conquest, forever"

The quote credited to Robert Toombs shows the extreme arguments and conflicts over slavery in the United States during the mid-19th century, particularly following the acquisition of brand-new territories.

Toombs, a popular Southern politician and advocate of slavery, expresses disdain towards a specific political faction, likely the Free Soil Party or comparable abolitionist groups, who staunchly opposed the growth of slavery. The statement can be found in the context of the U.S. territorial growth after the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), which led to the acquisition of lands including California and New Mexico. The central charge versus this "celebration" is their undeviating need that slavery be prohibited in these newly gotten territories and any future territories added to the country, whether through purchase or conquest.

Toombs frames this need as an inflexible rejection of compromise or concession. During this duration, the U.S. was deeply divided over the issue of slavery, resulting in numerous legislative attempts to reach a compromise, such as the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. These measures intended to balance servant and totally free states' interests and preserve union cohesion.

By firmly insisting that slavery be left out "forever", this anti-slavery faction is represented as extreme and unwilling to participate in the political give-and-take that defined much of antebellum American politics. Their stance underscores the ethical seriousness and fundamental opposition to slavery held by many Northerners and abolitionists, as they sought to restrict its spread and ultimately work towards its total abolition.

Toombs' use of the word "rejecting" suggests a view that this abolitionist position was dismissive and overlooked the point of views and rights of pro-slavery constituencies. This viewpoint would become emblematic of the Southern complaints leading up to the Civil War, where distinctions over the organization of slavery became irreconcilable. The quote captures the growing sectional stress and the intractable nature of the dispute over slavery, reflecting the underlying ethical, economic, and political rifts that were becoming progressively pronounced as America broadened westward.