RECONSTRUCTION 1865 1877
HOMESTEAD ACT
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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A homestead act had long been championed by northern politicians because:
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speculators were claiming large tracts out west and bringing in slave labor to build large farms.
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the Pacific Railroad was foundering because of the limited settlement of the western territories.
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much of the land up for public federal grants was being illegally claimed by southern slaveholders
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the spread of small farms into the western territories would limit the power of the slave economy
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Explanation:
Detailed explanation-1: -Most of the land went to speculators, cattle owners, miners, loggers, and railroads. Of some 500 million acres dispersed by the General Land Office between 1862 and 1904, only 80 million acres went to homesteaders. Indeed, small farmers acquired more land under the Homestead Act in the 20th century than in the 19th.
Detailed explanation-2: -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.
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