Because Fremont is on the right side of the great question which now disturbs the public peace. Opposition to slavery extension is neither a Northern or a sectional ism. It originated with the great Southern statesmen of the Revolution. Washington, Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Madison, and Randolph were all opposed to slavery in the abstract, and were all opposed to admitting it into new territory. –“Professor Hedrick’s Defence,”
October 4, 1856

Which detail does Hedrick provide to support his position in this excerpt?

Many great American leaders have been slaveholders.
Slavery was not written into the US Constitution.
Several Founding Fathers from the South also opposed slavery.
The Southern economy and society heavily relied on slavery.