David+Wilmot

=David Wilmot =

Name: David Wilmot Age: 36 years-old Gender: Male Occupation: Democratic Congressman (1854-1851), judge (1851-1861) Republican Senator (1861-63), and judge of the US Court of Claims (1863). If in politics, what was your occupation prior to that: He practiced law in Towanda, Pennsylvania and became involved in local politics after that. Social Class: Upper Class Congressman Financial Situation: His father was a successful merchant and their family was financially better off than most people. Appearance: Young, handsome and a bit plump. Location: Pennsylvania Daily Routine: Write up his proviso, attend congress meetings. Personality/Quirks/Unique Personality Traits: Famous for his extemporaneous oratorical skills, Wilmot contributed a lot to Pennsylvania's Democratic state convention in 1844 before he became a congressman. Also, shown in the Wilmot Proviso, he did not like slavery and blacks and held extreme racist views. Past/Individual and family history: Living a comfortable early life, Wilmot Studied at the local Beech Woods Academy then at the Cayuga Lake Academy in Aurora, New York. He studied law and was admitted to the bar of Bradford County, and became a Representative of the 12th district of Pennsylvania. Family: He was born to Daniel and Mary Grant Wilmot. His father was a successful merchant, and helped David Wilmot live a comfortable early life. Later he married Anna Morgan and had three children, although none of them survived past childhood. Social relations with others: He was a strong supporter of Andrew Jackson, as well as an active Jacksonian Democrat. He supported Polk's adminitration at first, but realized later on that Polk's policies greatly favored the south. Wilmot also supported Polk's opponent Martin Van Buren. Religion: none Education: Studied at the local Beech Woods Academy then at the Cayuga Lake Academy in Aurora, New York. He studied law and was admitted to the bar of Bradford County. Pennsylvania in August 1834. Conflicts/Enemies: He opposed slavery, but also held very racist views towards blacks.

Journal #1
December 1846 Throughout the duration of the slavery debate, which continues on today, we have found it extremely difficult to reach a consensus. The failure to find a politically feasible solution to this problem continues to delay the necessary actions that must be taken to resolve the issue of slavery. What we need is not a series of futile attempts on trying to create a compromise, but immediate actions to eradicate the problem.

I have been chosen to present the proviso, and finally after three months the Mexican-American war started, I was able to present the solution to the government. Just a few days back I proposed an amendment to the military appropriations bill on grounds that slavery should be strictly banned in any new territory that was to be acquired from the war. //"Provided, That, as an express and fundamental condition to the acquisition of any territory from the Republic of Mexico by the United States, by virtue of any treaty which may be negotiated between them, and to the use by the Executive of the moneys herein appropriated, neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of said territory, except for crime, whereof the party shall first be duly convicted."// I cannot say with enough emphasis that the rights of white freeman need to be protected by the government and their opportunities for labor in their own country should not be taken by those of a different race and color. The Southern institution of slavery is a disgrace and disrupts America’s chances of offering free labor to its people.

I thought this a fair and the only effective solution since Polk’s administration decided to promote their pro-southern policies such as the tariff of 1846. My growing suspicion of the Polk administration proved to be correct. His policies have turned the party and the administration’s interests towards the South’s interests. It has grown so evident since then that the South has took on a dominating role in most of American politics, and used their power to favor their own interests. With the acquisition of Texas, the proslavery South has gained a substantial increase political power and with the Mexican-American war going on, the creation of more slave states are very likely.

The first House Vote was organized today on what is officially called the “Wilmot Proviso.” It passed the house by a vote of 83-64, with nearly all the northern congressman voting for it. It is to be introduced to the senate later on and if it succeeds, I believe the proviso will bring positive changes to the future of new American states.

Journal #2
1852 These days I am dedicating most of my time in the Pennsylvania state court. I thought this a good time to take a step back and get out of the Congress meetings and political matters for a while. I am not highly satisfied with the way the houses of the congress are dealing with current situations shown through the recent Compromise of 1850. The Compromise of 1850 allowed California into the Union as a free state, but gave Utah and New Mexico the opportunity to decide for //themselves// at the time of their admission. I’ve heard that Clay’s proposal “package” has been broken up and voted on separately with the efforts of Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas, who wrote them individually. Just because the Mexican law had already abolished slavery in their regions, and the climate and land in New Mexico is not good for the cotton industry, it doesn’t mean that an individual state decision on slavery should be tolerated. It is important that we take definite actions to eliminate slavery, and that is by setting the rules clear. They have completely disregarded the ideas of the Wilmot Proviso for what Henry Clay claims to be the “pacifier.” Above all else, the most disturbing of all is that the compromise also tries to reemphasize the Fugitive Slave Law. This law calls for the practice of slavery and enforces it rather than trying to bring a change. There is a germ of evil being spread with slavery and the existence of a distinct black population. The spread of this germ needs to be stopped immediately, for it is causing a great threat to our own society. There are some other Congressman such as Charles Sumner, who has been speaking out against such enforcements of the Fugitive Slave Act however, the Congress contributes no efforts into eliminating slavery. It is only triggering the continuation this ongoing debate. Currently, the Whig nor the Democrats have been making successful decisions and improvements, and I am beginning to question the role of each political party.

Journal #3
1854 There is always only bad news after another. The federal government has been disappointing me with their impetuous judgments on political affairs and negligence on creating a harmonious nation. The Missouri compromise was the last sectional bond between the northerners and the southerners, and it has been destroyed. The bond was broken when the Kansas Nebraska Act, proposed by Stephen Douglas, passed the house. I think I have mentioned how ridiculous the Compromise of 1850 was, but now they have decided on expanding this idea of “popular sovereignty” to newly created states-- Kansas and Nebraska. Not only did this repeal the sacred Missouri Compromise, it broke the last hope of national harmony. The Union cannot survive under these unfair conditions. The government actions clearly favors the south, not even giving the north an opportunity to speak its opinion. Now the possibility of more slave states in the Kansas and Nebraska regions has increased. This will only destroy the Union rather than strengthen it. Slavery cannot be allowed in any new territory of America. We must start giving the available jobs to Americans, and have the blacks leave out land. The existence of slavery and a foreign race only poses problems within the Union and corrupt the meaning of a true nation. In the midst of all this chaos, I knew I couldn’t just sit back and watch everything take its course. I had to do something to set America’s future towards the correct direction.

The Democratic part has gone through some significant changes since last I’ve been in congress. The north and south divide has weakened the party. The party’s refusal to my Wilmot Proviso and efforts to keep both the south and the north content were both fallacious. I, along with other politicians, have decided to create a new party system that will save the nation from this debacle. Along with John C. Freemont and many other men from the Democratic or the Whig party we have created the republican party. We decided to use the ideas from the Wilmot Proviso, work towards the end of slavery and a harmonious nation. I think I am going to get a bit busier than I was before. There is a lot of work left in ahead of me and I’d better start now. I know that we will be successful and bring positive results to the United States of America in the future.

Journal #4
1856 I am extremely pleased with the success of the Republican party throughout these last two years. Despite being a newly created party, we have some of the most industrious, dedicated men who have been devoting themselves to creating an effective new party system over an incredibly short length of time.

The election that just took place with John C. Freemont went better than expected. Winning eleven of the free states in the election shines a bright light over the future of our party. This will give us a chance to also shed light on the direction in which the Union should embark on. James Buchanan was elected president in the recent election.

I hope Buchanan takes clear actions for the expansion of America’s territory westwards. America needs to realize the opportunities that the unsettled West has. Many can migrate in order to improve their social and living conditions with the creation of new jobs and land. It will make our nation much stronger and developed. However, these opportunities in the West will not unfold with slavery still in action. The Free Soil policy will protect the free competition of workers in these new lands and prevent these opportunities from being taken away by slave owning monopolies. The slave holders would only try to take all the land and make the slaves to the labor instead of giving the Americans who need jobs. The whites would have to compete unfairly with the blacks. This will only hinder America’s development in the future. What we must do now is to stop the spread of slavery and allow Americans opportunities to take advantage of what we have and live good lives rather than supporting slavery and having the factory owners and slave holders gain all profit. It is also necessary that we keep our country pure and free of other races like the negroes to stay united and strong.

Journal #5
1860 On the 16th of May the party held a meeting in Chicago regarding the presidential election. William Seward, whom I thought would become nominated, was given two strikes for his radicalism and opposition for the nativist movement. After what seemed like an interminable discussion, we all agreed that what the republican party needed most was a moderate man to win a fair number of the Democratic states.

The meeting ended successfully with Abraham Lincoln from Illinois as the nominee on the third ballot. Lincoln had a more moderate disposition and especially his views towards the controversial slavery issue was not as strong as some others. The way the campaign led on was quite interesting. Of the four main candidates, Lincoln was the only one who never made a speech. The true impact of Lincoln’s campaign stemmed from his own life story. From frontier poverty to a candidate of the United States of America was a great achievement that also embodied the Republican ideals of “free labor” and equal opportunity for all. The Chicago Tribune published a story of Lincoln’s life which sold more than anything else.

November 6th will mark a historic victory in the republican party forever. The Republican party gained the electoral votes of all the free states except for three districts in New Jersey, and won a decisive majority. We have achieved such an incredible amount of progress over the years and I am confident that we will continue to do so and contribute greatly to shaping one strong nation. With the eventual eradication of slavery, the United States will have more opportunities for an average man to succeed and find a happy home. There has been some talking in the Southern states that spoke of secession, but obviously they fail to see what the nation truly needs. Out of their strong support of slavery, they are trying to tear apart the Union, which I find very imprudent and reckless. I hope that we’ll be able to set things right in the future now that the election had turned out very successfully.