RECONSTRUCTION 1865 1877
HOMESTEAD ACT
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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Gave 160 acre plots of land to American settlers
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Gave 160 acre plots of land to Native American families
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Gave plots of unassigned land to anyone wanting tribal land in Oklahoma, as long as they were willing to race for it
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Gave reservation land to Native Americans
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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: -President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act on May 20, 1862. 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.
Detailed explanation-3: -Requirements. The Act gave a claimant 160 acres (65 ha) for free, the only cost to the farmer being a $10 administration fee. Any male farmer who was at least 21 years of age and agreed to cultivate at least 40 acres (16 ha) of the land and build a permanent dwelling on it (within three years) qualified.
Detailed explanation-4: -A homesteader had to be the head of a household or at least 21 years of age to claim a 160 acre parcel of land. Settlers from all walks of life worked to meet the challenge of “proving up". They included immigrants, farmers without land of their own, single women, and formerly enslaved people.