The settlers vii download free10/12/2023 Indeed, small farmers acquired more land under the Homestead Act in the 20th century than in the 19th.ĬHAP. Of some 500 million acres dispersed by the General Land Office between 18, only 80 million acres went to homesteaders. Most of the land went to speculators, cattle owners, miners, loggers, and railroads. Unfortunately, the act was framed so ambiguously that it seemed to invite fraud, and early modifications by Congress only compounded the problem. In the end, most of those who purchased land under the act came from areas quite close to their new homesteads (Iowans moved to Nebraska, Minnesotans to South Dakota, and so on). Comparatively few laborers and farmers could afford to build a farm or acquire the necessary tools, seed, and livestock. The act, however, proved to be no panacea for poverty. Even under the Articles of Confederation, before 1787, the distribution of government lands generated much interest and discussion. After the Civil War, Union soldiers could deduct the time they had served from the residency requirements.Īlthough this act was included in the Republican party platform of 1860, support for the idea began decades earlier. Title could also be acquired after only a six-month residency and trivial improvements, provided the claimant paid the government $1.25 per acre. After five years on the land, the original filer was entitled to the property, free and clear, except for a small registration fee. Claimants were required to live on and “improve” their plot by cultivating the land. government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land. The Homestead Act, enacted during the Civil War in 1862, provided that any adult citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S.
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