In several key instances, the sectional issues involved arguments over states’ rights (e.g., the Tariff of Abominations, the Webster-Hayne Debate of 1830, the Nullification Crisis of 1832-33). One sectional issue in particular – the extension of slavery – prompted much debate in the 1840s and 1850s (e.g., the Wilmot Proviso, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act). The debate over this issue culminated with the South’s exercise of the ultimate states’ right – secession.
Read this short article about the Wilmot Proviso
Identify - What is the Wilmot Proviso?
Did it pass? What was it trying to say about the extension of slavery?