Section #1 - The Life of Abraham Lincoln
Chapter 29: The Wilmot Proviso on Funding the War Shocks the South
With fighting under way, Polk seeks approval from the House for $2 million to fund the widening conflict. His request, however, is met with an amendment offered by David Wilmot of Pennsylvania. It agrees to the spending, but “only if slavery is banned on any Mexican land won in the war.”
When the Wilmot Proviso passes by an 85-80 margin with overwhelming support from the Northern states it becomes a dire warning to the South about the expansion of slavery in the west.
House Vote on the Wilmot Proviso (August 8, 1846)
| Region | Democrats Yes – No | Whigs Yes – No | American Yes -No | Total Yes – No |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 37 – 0 | 24 – 6 | 5 – 0 | 66 – 6 |
| Northwest | 15 – 4 | 2 – 2 | — | 17 – 6 |
| Free States | 52 – 4 | 26 – 8 | 5 – 0 | 83 – 12 |
| Border | 0 – 9 | 2 – 9 | — | 2 – 18 |
| Southeast | 0 – 27 | 0 – 7 | — | 0 – 34 |
| Southwest | 0 – 15 | 0 – 1 | — | 0 – 16 |
| Slave States | 0 – 51 | 2 – 17 | 2 – 68 | |
| Total | 52 – 55 | 28 – 25 | 5 – 0 | 85 – 80 |
| (Not voting) | (32) | (23) | (1) | (56) |
Although the South does retain enough power in the Senate to table the Proviso, it soon becomes the rallying cry for opposition to the Mexican War.