Question

What would the wilmot proviso have done?

a. banned slavery in all of the united states
b. banned slavery in territories acquired from mexico allowed slavery in
c. all of the united states allowed slavery in new us territories acquired from mexico

Answer 1

The Wilmot Proviso, proposed by David Wilmot in 1846, sought to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico, but it failed to pass in the Senate and did not become law. It heightened the sectional tensions regarding slavery in the United States.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Wilmot Proviso's Intentions:

The Wilmot Proviso was an amendment to a revenue bill proposed in 1846 by Democrat David Wilmot, with the intent of banning slavery in all territories that would be acquired from Mexico following the Mexican-American War. This proviso sparked a significant debate in Congress, as it proposed to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude in these new territories, a move that deeply divided northern and southern politicians. The House of Representatives passed the proviso, but it consistently failed in the Senate due to opposing views on the expansion of slavery into new territories.

While the proviso aimed to restrict the spread of slavery into the newly acquired lands, it did not pass both houses of Congress and therefore did not become law. The Wilmot Proviso highlighted the escalating tensions between the North and the South over the issue of slavery, which eventually contributed to the increasingly hostile environment leading up to the American Civil War.