New Territorial Acqusitions

Territorial acquisitions of new territories directly helped the United States through increasing development of the economy and increasing the US sphere of influence, while indirectly hurting the United States by increasing both external and internal conflicts. By continuing to move West, and expanding the territories of the United States, economic opportunities were opened, while the United States continued to expand. The result of several of these expansions however, was conflict. To acquire Florida, Andrew Jackson was sent to the State under orders to prevent the outpour of Indians, runaway slaves, and white outcasts from Florida that resulted from the crumbling of the Spanish-American empire. Jackson however, asserted authority upon the state he did not have, hanging both Native Americans and foreigners without any right to do so. Although Spain eventually ceded Florida, the result was high-strung tension between the two countries. After the independence of Texas from Mexico, the country wanted to join the union. This created internal tension through the issue of slavery. Texas, if annexed would undoubtedly become a slave state. Some in the North, saw it as a conspiracy by the South to assert the dominance of slavery. Thus a result of the Texas Annexation was internal conflict.