USA HISTORY

MANIFEST DESTINY 1806 1855

ELECTION OF 1848 AND THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
The Homestead Act of (1862) promoted the development of western lands by ____
A
creating a system of dams for crop irrigation
B
providing free land to settlers
C
removing all restrictions on immigration
D
moving Native American Indians to reservations
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -To help develop the American West and spur economic growth, Congress passed the Homestead Act of 1862, which provided 160 acres of federal land to anyone who agreed to farm the land. The act distributed millions of acres of western land to individual settlers.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Homestead Act encouraged western migration by providing settlers with 160 acres of land in exchange for a nominal filing fee. Among its provisions was a five-year requirement of continuous residence before receiving the title to the land and the settlers had to be, or in the process of becoming, U.S. citizens.

Detailed explanation-3: -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 five years of continuous residence on that land.

Detailed explanation-4: -Homesteaders, who had to be the head of a household or 21 years of age and had to certify they had never borne arms against the United States, also needed two neighbors or friends to attest to the government that they had fulfilled the requirements.

There is 1 question to complete.