Homestead act of 1862 article about homestead act of 1862. The homestead acts were several laws in the united states by which an applicant could. Settlers deserted their democratic allegiance and were rewarded for supporting the republican party when president abraham lincoln, its first successful candidate, signed into law the homestead act on may 20, 1862. The homestead act was passed by congress on may 20, 1862 to get people to move to the great plains. The homestead act may 20, 1862 an act to secure homesteads to actual settlers on the public domain. For multipage documents such as this one, we offer the first and last pages for download below. Homestead act apush questions might relate to the motivations and consequences of westward expansion, as well as sociopolitical questions it raised.
Jun 24, 2010 the homestead act was passed by congress on may 20, 1862 to get people to move to the great plains. This act allowed any head of household who was a citizen or in the process of becoming one, including freed slaves, to claim 160 acres of unoccupied and surveyed federal land for a small filing fee. It was also notable for the opportunity it gave african americans to own land. Students are given the criteria needed to create their own homestead of 160 acres.
Download pdf thehomesteadactandwestwardexpansion free. Even with the lure of free land however, homesteading in the remote territory was slow to start due to poor weather and poor soils and by 1914 less than 200 homestead applications had been. The images contained within the pdf files available below are of publication quality and will print out at up to 300dpi on standard 812 x 11 paper. The act provided settlers with 160 acres of surveyed public land after payment of a filing fee and five years of continuous residence. Maybe the government had read maslows hierarchy of needs. Oct 30, 2018 the act was signed into law by president abraham lincoln on may 20, 1862. After paying a small registration fee, homesteaders had to improve their. Signed into law by president abraham lincoln on may 20, 1862, the homestead act encouraged western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public. Since the homestead act started during the civil war, that little clause about not fighting against the union excluded nearly half the country. Its main purpose was to invite new settlers into the new territories of the west, and to do this, what the act did was to promise 160 acres of public land for settlers for a very small.
Passed on may 20, 1862, the homestead act accelerated the settlement of the western territory by granting adult heads of families 160 acres of surveyed public land for a minimal filing fee and 5 years of continuous residence on that land. May, 2016 the massachusetts homestead act is a law mgl chapter 188 under which a homeowner may establish. The images contained within the pdf files available below are. The homestead act of 1862 allowed people to stake a claim of 160 acres of land. Homestead exemption application for senior citizens. At the time of the signing, 11 states had left the union, and this piece of legislation would continue to. At the time of the signing, 11 states had left the union, and this piece of legislation would continue to have regional and political overtones. It allowed the head of a household a man or woman over the age of 21 to claim 160 acres of land and receive title to the land after living on the land for 5 years and improving the land by cultivating it and building a home see image 1. It includes an information sheet about the homestead act of 1862 and a fillintheblank handout to make into a booklet. Thehomesteadactandwestwardexpansion download thehomesteadactandwestwardexpansion ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. Homestead exemption application for senior citizens, disabled. President lincoln stated that the purpose of the government was to elevate the condition of men, to lift artificial burdens from all shoulders and to give everyone an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life.
Maybe the government had read maslows hierarchy of. Designed to spur western migration, the homestead act culminated a twentyyear battle to distribute public lands to citizens willing to farm. The worksheet can be printed for offline study, or used to. The homestead act of 1862 was largely irrelevant in the midwest, where most of the land had been bought and paid for before the act was passed. Laminate the information sheet so you can use it year after year. This differentiated activity is a fun way to learn about the homestead act of 1862. It provided for the transfer of 160 acres 65 hectares of unoccupied public land to each homesteader on payment of a nominal fee after five years of residence. Homestead act, homestead act of 1862 map homesteader history. On january 1, 1863, daniel freeman made the first claim under the. Be it enacted, that any person who is the head of a family, or who has arrived at the age of twentyone years, and. Also, you have to swear the land is going to be used for shelter and food for you and your family, not anybody else. It was signed by abraham lincoln on may 20th 1862, as following the secession in the united states, the most vocal opposition in. The application and qualification process, as burdensome as it was for our ancestors, produced a bumper crop of documents for use by genealogists and family historians.
The act was signed into law by president abraham lincoln on may 20, 1862. The homestead act can be found the united states statutes at large, volume 12, page 392 12 stat. The new law established a threefold homestead acquisition process. Search in the 37th congress using the word homestead to find more congressional documents related to the homestead act. From the viewpoint of government the homestead act of 1862 was a success. President abraham lincoln signed the act into law on may 20, 1862. Settlers with american citizenship moved to thinlypopulated areas in the american territories. The homestead act of 1862 37th congress session ii 1862 chapter lxxv. It was signed by abraham lincoln on may 20th 1862, as following the secession in the united states, the most vocal opposition in congress, the southern states, had been removed. Much of the eastern midwest was purchased during the land boom of the 1830s, and most of iowa and wisconsin during the land boom of the 1850s, when the minimal purchase unit was only 40 acres. The homestead act of 1862 has been called one the most important pieces of legislation in the history of the united states. Western expansion the homestead act of 1862 free american. And be it further enacted, that the person applying for the benefit of this act shall, upon application to the register of the land office in which he or she is about to make such entry. The homestead act of 1862 was a federal law promoting westward expansion by allotting 160 acres of free public land to individual settlers.
Homestead act of 1862 be it enacted, that any person who is the head of a family, or who has arrived at the age of twentyone years, and is a citizen of the united states, or who shall have filed his declaration of intention to become such, as required by the naturalization laws of the united states, and who. The homestead act of 1862 was a landmark in the evolution of federal agriculture law. President abraham lincoln signed the homestead act on may 20, 1862. Make sure you are familiar with the homestead act of 1862 using this interactive quiz. People cherished the freedom and space that the west provided, because it allowed them to own farms and room for cattle. Us president lincoln signed the homestead act into law in may of 1862, one year after the civil war had started. The homestead act of 1862 helped the development of the west by a. Homestead act of 1862 in this session youll learn how the homestead act of 1862 lured citizens of the united states to procure federal lands west of the mississippi river. Two years later, with the civil war raging and southerners out of congress, the homestead act of 1862 became law. President buchanan vetoed, a homestead act in 1860. Summary of the homestead act of 1862 background with the secession of southern states from the union and therefore removal of the slavery issue, in 1862, the homestead act was passed and signed into law.
With some of the opposition gone, congress passed the homestead act on may 20, 1862 see document 1. A primary source history of the settlement of the american heartland in the late 19th century primary sources in american history porterfield, jason on. The homestead act of 1862 was a law established and signed by president abraham lincoln, that sought to encourage new settlement by americans towards the west. It offered homesteaders free title to a quarter section 160 acres of public land if they built a home and improved the property for five years. Homestead act of 1862, legislative action that promoted the settlement and development of the american west. The massachusetts homestead act is a law mgl chapter 188 under which a homeowner may establish. On january 1, 1863, daniel freeman made the first claim under the act, which gave citizens or future citizens up to 160 acres of public land provided they live on it, improve it, and pay a small registration fee. Our documents highresolution pdfs of homestead act 1862. The living conditions out in the west were harsh, however, which caused difficulties for homesteaders. Although the homestead act was enacted in 1862, it was not until 1898 that special legislation extended the provisions of the act to the territory of alaska. Passed on may 20, 1862, the homestead act accelerated the settlement of the western territory by granting adult heads of families 160 acres of surveyed public. This act allowed any head of household who was a citizen or in the process of becoming one, including freed slaves, to claim 160 acres of. The homestead act was based off of farming and marketing for agricultural purposes. Homestead act of 1862 summary the homestead act of 1862 was passed by the u.
The laws northern supporters had pursued a vision of taming the rough frontier for several decades, as. The homestead act of 1862 was the first of many acts, signed by president abraham lincoln on may 20, 1862. After paying a small fee, homesteaders were to improve their land by living on it, building a dwelling home, and planting crops. Homestead act of 1862 what was it, is it still available. It said that any citizen of the united states could claim 160 acres of government land. President lincoln stated that the purpose of the government was to elevate the condition of men, to lift artificial burdens from all shoulders and to give everyone an unfettered start and a. In 1860, a homestead act was passed, but president james buchanan, fearing that the south would use it as an excuse to secede, vetoed the bill. This is a fantastic pdf handout to use for teaching the homestead act of 1862.
The first of the acts, the homestead act of 1862, opened up millions of acres. See more ideas about old west, homestead act and american history. The senate passed the homestead act by a vote of 33 to 7 on may 6, 1862. Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the united states of america in congress assembled, that any person who is the head of a family, or who has arrived at the age of twentyone. Click download or read online button to thehomesteadactandwestwardexpansion book pdf for free now. The intent of the first homestead act, passed in 1862, was to liberalize the homesteading requirements of the preemption act of 1841. The homestead act of 1862 helped the development of the west. Mar 28, 2018 the senate passed the homestead act by a vote of 33 to 7 on may 6, 1862. In doing so, freeman became one of the first to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the homestead act, a law signed by president abraham lincoln on may 20, 1862. They are provided a few wooded areas, a creek, vast grasslands, and an opportunity for a more prosperous life. The major goal of the homestead act in 1862, which took effect on january 1, 1863, was to encourage settlement of the west. Primary source the homestead act of 1862 37th congress session ii 1862.
Between 1862 and 1934 some 270 million acres had been successfully homesteaded. An act to secure homesteads to actual settlers on the public domain. Highresolution pdfs of homestead act 1862 our documents. Signed into law in 1862 by abraham lincoln after the secession of southern states, this act turned over vast amounts of the public domain to private citizens. The government granted more than 270 million acres of land while the law was in effect.
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