Why were southern politicians opposed to the Wilmot Proviso? %0D%0A%0D%0A(1 point)%0D%0AResponses%0D%0A%0D%0AThe proviso would admit Texas as a free state.%0D%0AThe proviso would admit Texas as a free state.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe proviso would limit the spread of slavery.%0D%0AThe proviso would limit the spread of slavery.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe proviso's author, David Wilmot, was from the North.%0D%0AThe proviso's author, David Wilmot, was from the North.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe proviso would eliminate slavery in the South.
Southern politicians were opposed to the Wilmot Proviso for several reasons:
1. The proviso would limit the spread of slavery: Southern politicians believed that the expansion of slavery was crucial for their economic and political power. They feared that if slavery was restricted, it would threaten their way of life and lead to a decline in their influence.
2. The proviso would admit Texas as a free state: Southern politicians were concerned that if Texas, which had a significant slaveholding population, was admitted as a free state, it would upset the balance of power between free and slave states in Congress.
3. The proviso's author, David Wilmot, was from the North: Southern politicians were distrustful of Northern politicians and suspected that they had ulterior motives behind any legislation that sought to limit slavery. They saw the Wilmot Proviso as an example of Northern interference in Southern affairs.
4. The proviso would eliminate slavery in the South: The Wilmot Proviso raised fears among Southern politicians that it was just the first step towards the ultimate abolition of slavery. They saw it as an attack on their property rights and believed that it would undermine the institution of slavery in the South.