Territorial Acquisitions

The territorial acquisitions of Americans intensified the debate over slavery within the union, helped refine and strengthen democratic idealism, and helped boost the economy. Sectional balance between slave and non slave states had always presided, however with Missouri's request to enter the union as a slave state and Texas's request to enter the union period had rattled the balance. In response to Missouri's request, congress somewhat unfairly passed the Tallmadge amendment. It provided that no more slaves be brought into the state and that children born of slave families already there be emancipated. Southerners saw the Tallmadge amendment, which they eventually managed to defeat, as a threat to the sectional balance that had loomed for so many years. nonetheless, a compromise was reached. Main was admitted as a separate state from Massachusetts and everything above the 36-30 line was non slave holding, and everything below it was. The balance between North and South was thus kept at 12 states each and remained so for fifteen years. "The Missouri compromise only the ducked the question- it did not resolve it." When Texas requested admittance into the union, the north and Jackson hesitated. Many Texans were slaveholders, and admitting Texas to the union inescapably meant the enlargement of slavery.
Although politically speaking the United States were struggling to hold together, expansion not only meant increased tension, but also an increase in immigration as well as economy. As cheaper land continuously became available, immigrants flooded into the country and with them brought diversity and work. Such an array of opinion meant the refinement of democracy, as generally all people wanted the same basic freedoms. Their work could and would replace the necessity of slavery and fill in the gaps in factories and other places where work was needed. expansion also meant prosperous land from which americans would reap the benefits in agriculture and trade. Although pioneers had exhausted the land they passed over, advancements over time and all acquired outweighed the negative. Overall, tensions did negatively affect the union in that it would eventually lead to the secession of the south but it helped develop a strong democracy that would last for many years passed.