ID: Wilmot Proviso ## When: August 8, 1846
Who: David Wilmot, a Democrats Congressman from Pennsylvania.
What:
A proposed amendment to a bill that would have prohibited slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico as a result of the Mexican-American War.
Impact: Why Significant?:
- Heightened tensions over slavery: The Wilmot Proviso intensified the debate over the expansion of slavery into new territories, fueling sectionalism and resentment between the North and South.
- Contributed to the rise of the Free Soil Party: The Proviso attracted support from anti-slavery advocates who coalesced into the Free Soil Party, challenging the dominance of the two major parties.
- Precursor to the Compromise of 1850: The controversy surrounding the Proviso helped set the stage for a series of compromises aimed at resolving the slavery issue, culminating in the Compromise of 1850.
- Strengthened sectionalism : By focusing attention on the issue of slavery expansion, the Wilmot Proviso further solidified sectional identities and intensified political divisions between the North and South.
- Symbolic of the growing divide: The Proviso became a symbol of the irreconcilable differences between North and South, ultimately contributing to the outbreak of the Civil War.