Page 346 - American Stories, A History of the United States

The tradition of providing both the free North and the slave South with opportu-
nities to expand and create new states broke down when new territories were wrested Quick Check 14.1
from Mexico in the 1840s. The acquisition of Texas, California, and New Mexico—all What role did the Constitution
south of the Missouri Compromise line—threatened to upset the parity between slave play in the debates over slavery in
and free states. Since it was generally assumed in the North that Congress could pro- existing states as well as in newly 14.2
hibit slavery in new territories, a movement developed in Congress to do just that. acquired territories?

The Wilmot Proviso Launches the Free-Soil Movement 14.3

The Free-Soil crusade began in August 1846, only three months after the start of the
Mexican-American War, when Representative David Wilmot, a Pennsylvania Democrat,
proposed an amendment to the military appropriations bill that would ban slavery in any
territory acquired from Mexico. Wilmot spoke for the many northern Democrats who
felt neglected and betrayed by the party’s choice of Polk over Van Buren in 1844 and by
Polk’s “prosouthern” policies. Wilmot also proposed prohibiting free African Americans
from settling in the new territories. This would enhance the economic opportunities of
the North’s common folk by preventing competition from slaves and free blacks. By
thus linking racism with resistance to the spread of slavery, Wilmot appealed to a broad
spectrum of northern opinion.
Northern Whigs shared Wilmot’s concern about unregulated competition between
slave and free labor in the territories. Voting for the measure also provided an outlet Wilmot proviso in 1846, shortly
for their frustration at being unable to halt the annexation of Texas and the Mexican- after the outbreak of the Mexican-
American War. Whig leaders preferred that there be no expansion at all, but when American War, Congressman David
expansion could not be avoided, northern Whigs endorsed the view that territory Wilmot of Pennsylvania introduced
this amendment banning slavery
acquired from Mexico should not be used to increase the power of the slave states. in any lands won from Mexico.
In the first House vote on the Wilmot Proviso, a sectional cleavage replaced party
lines. Every northern congressman except for two Democrats voted for the amend-
ment, and every Southerner except two Whigs voted against it. After passing the
House, the Proviso was blocked in the Senate by a combination of southern influence Quick Check
and Democratic loyalty to the administration. When the appropriations bill went back What was the Wilmot Proviso, and
to the House without the Proviso, the administration’s arm-twisting changed enough what effect did it have on existing
northern Democratic votes to pass the bill and thus defeat the Proviso. party lines?

Forging a Compromise

One early compromise reached on the Mexican cession was a formula known as
“squatter sovereignty” that would enable the actual settlers to determine the status
of slavery in a territory. The North and the South interpreted this proposal differ-
ently. For northern Democrats, squatter sovereignty—or popular sovereignty, as it popular sovereignty The
was later called—meant the settlers could vote slavery up or down at the first meeting concept that the settlers of a newly
of a territorial legislature. For the southern wing of the party, it meant a decision would organized territory had the right to
be made only when a convention drew up a constitution and applied for statehood. decide (through voting) whether
to accept slavery.
The chief proponent of squatter sovereignty was Senator Lewis Cass of Michigan, the
Democratic nominee for president in 1848. Cass lost to General Zachary Taylor, who
ran as a Whig war hero without a platform. (See Table 14.1). Taylor refused to commit
himself on the status of slavery in the territories, although he promised not to veto any
congressional legislation on the subject. Northern supporters of the Wilmot Proviso
backed former President Van Buren, who ran under the new Free-Soil Party, the first

TABLe 14.1 THe eLeCTiON OF 1848
Candidate Party Popular vote electoral vote
Taylor Whig 1,360,967 163
Cass Democratic 1,222,342 127
van Buren Free-Soil 291,263 —

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