To what extent did the acquisition of new land both help and hurt the U.S?

The acquistion of new land to the west no doubtedly helped the young nation become stronger, but it also wrecked havoc in later years. As the pioneers moved west, new and fertile soil was acquired for farming and planting. The Land Act of 1820 provided for the cheap price of a minimum of $1.35 per acre (up to 80 acres). This helped to stimulate a population boom as an influx of immigrants arrived, mostly from the Old World, to claim land for themselves. This strengthened the country as population steadily climbed over the years. However, as more land was acquired, it raised the burning question of slavery. Missouri in 1819 asked congress to admit it as a slave state to the U.S, but instead the Tallmadge amendment was passed by Congress, which stated that no more slaves would be brought into Missouri and provided for the gradual emancipation of children born to slave parents in Missouri. This led to outcries of protest from angered Southerners, as well as a growing group of people in the North who questioned the morality of slavey, which would lead to conflict later on. Also, the southerners were concerned with the tipping balance of power, which seemed to them that it was continually tipping in favor for the north. This conflict of power and slavery would later lead to the rise of conflict and tension within the U.S, and ultimately, the Civil War.