How did the wilmot proviso cause an increase in tensions between the north and the south?

The Wilmot Proviso, introduced in 1846, aimed to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico, which alarmed Southern states that sought to expand slavery into new territories. Its passage in the House but failure in the Senate highlighted the deepening sectional divide, as it was seen as a direct threat to the Southern way of life and their political power. This controversy intensified debates over states' rights and the expansion of slavery, ultimately contributing to the growing animosity between the North and the South leading up to the Civil War.