He is best known for being the prime sponsor and eponym of the Wilmot Proviso, a failed proposal to ban the expansion of slavery to western lands gained in the Mexican Cession . A notable member of the anti-slavery Free Soil Party, Wilmot later was instrumental in establishing the Republican Party in Pennsylvania.
What was David Wilmot's proposal?
The Wilmot Proviso was a proposal to prohibit slavery in the territory acquired by the United States at the conclusion of the Mexican War . In 1846, David Wilmot a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, proposed the Wilmot Proviso.
Who was David Wilmot and what does he propose?
A U.S. Congressman (1845-1851) and later Senator (1861-1863) from Pennsylvania, David Wilmot sponsored an amendment to an appropriations bill in the House of Representatives on August 8, 1846, which proposed the banning of slavery in land gained from Mexico in the Mexican-American War .
What was the main goal of the Wilmot Proviso?
The Wilmot Proviso was designed to eliminate slavery within the land acquired as a result of the Mexican War (1846-48). Soon after the war began, President James K. Polk sought the appropriation of $2 million as part of a bill to negotiate the terms of a treaty.
Why did Wilmot not want slavery?
Free-soilers objected to slavery not because they viewed it as an abominable institution , but because it hurt northern whites. Some politicians felt that the slave power disproportionally dominated national politics thereby limiting northern political influence.
How did the idea of popular sovereignty affect slavery in the United States?
Popular sovereignty gave slavery a legal basis . Popular sovereignty made slavery more odious to the northern states. The absolutist movement became much stronger due to Popular sovereignty. After Popular sovereignty the nation would have to become either completely slave or completely free.
What were free soilers?
The Free Soil Party's slogan was “free soil, free speech, free labor, and free men.” The Free Soilers opposed slavery's expansion into any new territories or states . They generally believed that the government could not end slavery where it already existed but that it could restrict slavery in new areas.
How did David Wilmot feel about slavery?
The Free Soilers distilled the Proviso down to the campaign slogan: “No more slave states and no more slave territory.” Unlike mainstream abolitionists, Wilmot did not abhor the practice of slavery on moral grounds; rather he feared that the South, with its peculiar institution, was gaining too much power .
Who would support the Wilmot Proviso?
Despite repeated attempts, the Wilmot Proviso was never passed by both houses of Congress. But out of the attempt by both Democrats and Whigs to subordinate or compromise the slavery issue grew the Republican Party , founded in 1854, which specifically supported the Wilmot principle.
What was the Compromise of 1850 and what did it do?
The Compromise of 1850 consists of five laws passed in September of 1850 that dealt with the issue of slavery and territorial expansion . ... As part of the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was amended and the slave trade in Washington, D.C., was abolished.
What was the goal of the Wilmot Proviso and what did it lead to?
The goal of the Wilmot Proviso was the ban of slavery in any territory received from Mexico during the Mexican-American War . By this amendment, Democrats wanted to strengthen the interests of northerners and reserve new territories for the white population for economic and political reasons.
What was one effect of the Wilmot Proviso quizlet?
How did the Wilmot Proviso impact the US North and South relations? Divided Congress, led to the creation of the Free-Soil party, made slavery a key issue in politics, southerners fought against the bill .
What was the aim of the Wilmot Proviso quizlet?
what was the purpose of the wilmot proviso? wanted to outlaw slavery in any territory the US might acquire from the War of Mexico .
Did the south support the Wilmot Proviso?
When the bill was returned to the House the Senate bill prevailed; every Northern Whig still supported the proviso, but 22 Northern Democrats voted with the South .
How would adding a new state to the union add to the conflict over slavery?
Adding a new state to the Union could add to the conflict over slavery because if the new state comes in as a free state, the balance of power in Congress would be tipped to the free states . If the new state comes in as a slave state, the balance of power in Congress would be tipped to the slave states.
Where did the south expand slavery?
The areas that Southern slavocrats looked to outside the US in order to expand slavery were Nicaragua and Cuba . The South adopted this scheme because they wanted to create another slave state.
