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The Wilmot Proviso was a proposal by Congressman David Wilmot to ban slavery in all territories gained from Mexico. It was passed by the House, but not by the Senate. Even though it never passed, it grew sectional tensions by showing the divide between free and slave states. It also pushed politicians to take clearer pro or anti slavery positions. This merits inclusion because it caused national debate and foreshadowed the issues that did end up leading to the Civil War. (McPherson 54) -
The Compromise of 1850 added California as a free state, banned the slave trade in Washington, D.C., and changed the Fugitive Slave Law, making it harsher. It required citizens to help in capturing enslaved people who had escaped. It merits inclusion because it temporarily eased tensions, but deepened sectional divisions. The stricter fugitive law especially upset the North, making the nation move closer to the Civil War (McPherson, 71).