David Wilmot

David Wilmot was a significant American politician and lawyer in the 19th century, best known for the Wilmot Proviso, a proposal he introduced in 1846 aimed at banning slavery in territories acquired from Mexico after the Mexican-American War. Although the Proviso was never passed, it intensified debates over slavery in the United States and highlighted the growing sectional tensions between the North and South. Wilmot's actions played a crucial role in the lead-up to the Civil War, marking him as an important figure in the struggle over the expansion of slavery in America.