My Country – The Homestead Act
In May 1862, President Lincoln signed a law that changed the basic American land policy. The Homestead Act opened up settlement in the western United States. Any American, including freed slaves, could put in for a claim for up to 160 free acres of federal land. Eventually, 1.6 million individual claims would be approved; nearly ten percent of all government held property for a total of 420,000 square miles of territory. Previously, settlers purchased public lands or received land for military service. The Free-Soil Party
The Free-Soil Party sponsored free land in […]
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