may 20, 1862 - Homestead
Act
Description:
The Act helped to speed up western settlement by allowing citizens and even freed slaves to apply for ownership of 160 acres of government owned land
- They had to pay a small filing fee and reside continuously for five years on the land.
- Around 1.6 million claims would be approved to many small farmers wishing to start a better life in the west.
(Homestead Act, 2009)
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American History
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