During the first half of the 19th century, there was great unrest throughout the country due to territorial expansion. Half of the nation believed that expansion would be beneficial to the country, while the other half was firmly against expansion. Over the course of the century, the United States managed to reclaim Texas, California, and most of the Indian-owned lands. Opinions about this expansion were mixed across the country. Polls conducted during that time show that most Southerners and Westerners supported expansion, while Northerners were against it. (Document B) This is because Northerners had different values ​​and beliefs than Southern Westerners. Both opponents and supporters of territorial expansion during the period between 1800 and 1855 had an enormous influence on shaping federal government policy. However, it can be argued that supporters of territorial expansion had the greatest impact. They were able to influence the federal government to create policies and new laws that favored supporters' beliefs. It was mainly people from the north who opposed territorial expansion. This was because the Northerners saw how immoral expansion could be. They also had no need for the newly acquired lands and feared that further land acquisition would only strengthen the west; this is why opponents of expansion were so angry when the United States considered annexing Texas. William Plumer, a Federalist, said: “Admit this Western world into the union, and you will destroy in one operation all the weight and importance of the Eastern states.” (Document A). People opposed to territorial expansion realized that by annexing Texas, the western territory would grow, have a larger population and... middle of paper ......induced by supporters of territorial expansion you can see document id. Henry David Thoreau wrote that government is an instrument through which people can act. However, only a select few chose to use the government as a tool, and thus got what they wanted, a war with Mexico for territorial expansion. Most people, however, neither wanted nor supported a war with Mexico for territorial expansion. In conclusion, in the 19th century, many people debated whether territorial expansion was good or bad. The debates between supporters and opponents created tension in the nation and imposed sectionalism. Although everyone is generally supposed to have an equal say in government, it can be clearly seen during this time period that supporters of territorial expansion had a greater influence on policies created by the federal government..