jan 1, 1862 - 1862 - In 1862 Abraham Lincoln passed a series of laws seeking to encourage expansion into the West. The Homestead Act opened large areas of the West to free settlement for those who could farm the land for a period of time. The Morrill Act created agricultural colleges across the United States in order to create a generation of educated farmers. The Pacific Railway Act provided funds for the creation of a transcontinental railroad. All of these acts combined to develop the West to a greater extent than wou
Added to timeline:
Date:
jan 1, 1862
Now
~ 163 years ago