USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -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-2: -Cash poor during the Civil War, the government made land grants to the railroads to insure the construction of a transcontinental railroad, which they then sold at a profit. In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act and created opportunity for the 372, 000 families that poured onto the prairies.

Detailed explanation-3: -Each homesteader had to live on the land, build a home, make improvements and farm to get the land. The patent they received represented the culmination of hard work and determination. Nearly four million homesteaders settled land across 30 states over 123 years.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Homestead Act, passed in 1862, allowed settlers to claim 160 acres of land for free. Another important factor was completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869; the railroad led to much more rapid western migration and also facilitated economic development.