Wilmot, David (1814-1868) to B. Darwin Ames
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00271 Author/Creator: Wilmot, David (1814-1868) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 03 March 1848 Pagination: 1 p. ; 25.5 x 20.5 cm. Order a Copy
Grants Ames's request for an autograph. Apologizes for the delay in his response. References the Wilmot Proviso, writing "For the kind terms in which you have been pleased to speak of my efforts to arrest the progress of Slavery, accept my grateful thanks."
Wilmot was a United States Representative from Pennsylvania 1845-1851. He authored the Wilmot Proviso and was a founder of the Republican Party. He served as a U.S. Senator 1861-1863.
The Wilmot Proviso was a congressional proposal to prohibit the extension of slavery into the territories, a basic plank upon which the Republican Party was subsequently built.
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