wilmotproviso



David Wilmot was a democrat from Pennsylvania. On August 8, 1846, he introduced an amendment to a military appropriations bill proposing that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist” in any territory the United States might acquire as a result of the war with Mexico. This heightened tensions between the north and south. The Wilmot Proviso meant that California, which included the Utah and New Mexico territories, would be closed to slavery forever. This Amendment divided Congress along congressional lines. Northerners were angry over the refusal of southern congressmen to vote for internal improvements which supported the proviso. Southerners opposed the proviso because it raised complex constitutional issues. Southerners feared that if the Wilmot Proviso became a law, it would shift the balance of power to the North.

Information provided by: // The Americans //. N.p.: Holt Mcdougal, 2012. Print. Image provided by: // Americans Library //. Lib. of Cong., n.d. Web. 3 Sept. 2013. .