The Wilmot Proviso wanted to <em>ban slavery in the new territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican-American War</em> (1846.) It ultimately failed to be passed, and is considered by historians to be one of the major events leading up to the American Civil War.
The Wilmot Proviso was an unsuccessful 1846 proposal in the United States Congress to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican–American War. The conflict over the Wilmot Proviso was one of the major events leading to the American Civil War.
