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The Wilmot Proviso was designed to eliminate slavery within the land acquired as a result of the Mexican War (1846-48).Soon after the war began, President James K. Polk sought the appropriation of $2 million as part of a bill to negotiate the terms of a treaty.he Wilmot Proviso was designed to eliminate slavery within the land acquired as a result of the Mexican War (1846-48).
In 1846, during the Mexican War, the House of Representatives considered an appropriations bill designed to provide $2,000,000 for negotiating with the Mexican government. Wilmot introduced a rider to that measure, which was derived from the Northwest Ordinance, barring slavery from any territory acquired from Mexico.The bill containing the Wilmot Proviso passed the House in 1846 but the Senate failed to take any action on it.Passed again by the House in 1847, the proviso was defeated largely by the opposition of Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina.he Wilmot Proviso would have prevented slavery's expansion into any of this new territory. The House of Representatives approved the appropriations bill and, as a result, the proviso on August 8, 1846, but the Senate adjourned beforWilmot Proviso would have prevented slavery's expansion into any of this new territory.