The Homestead Act, which became law in May of 1862, allowed any American citizen to clam 160 acres of land for free. This act opened up the opportunity for families to move west and begin settlement of Western territories. It may seem simple, but this Act made it very easy for people to move west, and quickened the settlement of the Western United States.
Before the Civil War, similar acts to the Homestead Act were proposed in the government multiple times, but never passed. Oftentimes, the slave states voted against such acts, because they didn’t want the slave/free balance in the states to be thrown off. You see, any new states that were settled North of the 36’30 parallel would automatically be free states, and any South of that line would be slave states. Therefore, the southern states didn’t want people freely settling north of that parallel, because then the free states would have dominance in the government. Therefore, the Homestead Act never got passed until after the Civil War had begun. …show more content…
This they did on May 20, 1862. Families qualified for land if they payed a small amount and lived on their allotted land for 5 years. Or, they could obtain the land by paying only $1.25 per acre. Over the course of the next 3 years, 15,000 land grants were given. Though uncomplicated and simple, this act hastened the settlement of the Western U.S., and had a huge impact.
In conclusion, the Homestead Act, though simple, had a huge impact on the U.S., and the settlement of the western states. By allowing families to claim 160 acres of land, the government made it easy for people to move west. The Homestead Act had a huge impact on America for the next 100
Before the Civil War, similar acts to the Homestead Act were proposed in the government multiple times, but never passed. Oftentimes, the slave states voted against such acts, because they didn’t want the slave/free balance in the states to be thrown off. You see, any new states that were settled North of the 36’30 parallel would automatically be free states, and any South of that line would be slave states. Therefore, the southern states didn’t want people freely settling north of that parallel, because then the free states would have dominance in the government. Therefore, the Homestead Act never got passed until after the Civil War had begun. …show more content…
This they did on May 20, 1862. Families qualified for land if they payed a small amount and lived on their allotted land for 5 years. Or, they could obtain the land by paying only $1.25 per acre. Over the course of the next 3 years, 15,000 land grants were given. Though uncomplicated and simple, this act hastened the settlement of the Western U.S., and had a huge impact.
In conclusion, the Homestead Act, though simple, had a huge impact on the U.S., and the settlement of the western states. By allowing families to claim 160 acres of land, the government made it easy for people to move west. The Homestead Act had a huge impact on America for the next 100