Description
Handwritten letter from President James K. Polk to his Attorney General, John Y. Mason, on the eve of the introduction of the Wilmot Proviso, which would prohibit slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico.
This letter is framed in decorative oak, with green marbled trim, and a white cloth matte finish. Museum glass, with window on verso for full visibility of the letter. The framed work measures 35.5″ x 26.25″. Includes a large color portrait of President Polk.
The full letter as follows: “My Dear Sir: As soon as Mr. Johnson & yourself are ready, will you call? I am alone & will be during the day – Yrs & C – James K. Polk / Friday Augst 7th 1846 / Hon. Jno Y. Mason / [on verso] The President.”
The Wilmot Proviso was introduced on August 8, 1846, by Congressman David Wilmot as an amendment to a war appropriations bill, proposing to prohibit slavery in any territory gained from Mexico following the Mexican-American War. Emerging from rising Northern fears that the war would expand slave holding interests, the proviso immediately sharpened sectional divisions, passing the House but failing in the Senate. President James K. Polk, who had sought funds to negotiate peace with Mexico, opposed the amendment because it threatened to derail his plans for territorial expansion and risked alienating Southern Democrats whose support he relied upon. Although the proviso itself was rejected, the $2 million appropriation requested by Polk ultimately passed without the restriction, enabling the administration to continue negotiations, and the controversy over the measure foreshadowed the sectional conflicts that would lead to the Civil War.
The recipient of this letter, Attorney General John Y. Mason (1799-1859) was appointed U.S. Attorney General by President James K. Polk in March 1845 and served until September 1846. During this time, he was Polk’s key advisor on issues related to the annexation of Texas and the conduct of the Mexican-American War. In September 1846, Polk appointed him Secretary of the Navy, a position Mason had also held under President John Tyler, and he remained in that office until March 1849.
