With much of the east coast of America already developed, the United States government wanted to encourage people to move out west. They decided to help people out by offering them free land through a law called the Homestead Act.
A New Law
The Homestead Act became law in 1862 when it was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. Under the new law a U.S. Citizen could get 160 acres of unoccupied land west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains. They could keep the land if they lived on the land for five years and made improvements to the land.
Homesteading was a great opportunity for many people, especially immigrants just moving to the United States. Anyone who was over 21 years old could own land. This included former slaves, immigrants, and single women.
The Land Rush
Different areas of land were opened for homesteading at different times. This often created land rushes where people would race in to claim the best plots of land.
Oklahoma Land Rush by the McClenny Family Picture Album
Sooners
One of the major land rushes occurred in Oklahoma on April 22, 1889. Around 50,000 people lined up to claim around 2,000,000 acres of prime land. At high noon they were allowed to enter the area and claim the land. Some people snuck onto the land early and hid in order to lay claim to best areas of land first. These people were nicknamed "Sooners". Today the mascot for the University of Oklahoma is the Sooner.
Around 10,000 homesteaders settled around the area that is today Oklahoma City. The next day, April 23, 1889, the city was established with a population of over 10,000 people. It would later become the capital of the state of Oklahoma.
Interesting Facts about the Homestead Act and The Land Rush
Northerners wanted the land to be developed by small farmers rather than the large plantation owners from the South. They were afraid the plantation owners would use slaves to farm the land.
There was an $18 fee to file the application to get a plot of land.
Later Homestead Acts allowed for 320 acres in areas for dryland farming and 640 acres for ranching.
By 1934, 270 million acres of land had been given away by the United States government. That's around 10 percent of the entire United States.
Homesteading ended in 1976, except in Alaska where it ended in 1986.
In the book Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls' dad claims a homestead in Kansas.
The Homestead Act, enacted during the Civil War in 1862, provided that any adult citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land. Claimants were required to live on and “improve” their plot by cultivating the land.
Under the Homestead Act of 1862, settlers could claim 160 acres of public land and receive title to the property after five years if they lived on and improved the plot. Women, although legally prohibited from voting, were eligible to participate in the Land Rush, and there was no citizenship requirement either.
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.
The Homestead Act encouraged western migration by providing settlers with 160 acres of land in exchange for a nominal filing fee. Among its provisions was a five-year requirement of continuous residence before receiving the title to the land and the settlers had to be, or in the process of becoming, U.S. citizens.
Any U.S. citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. Government could file an application and lay claim to 160 acres of surveyed Government land. For the next 5 years, the General Land Office looked for a good faith effort by the homesteaders.
In all, more than 160 million acres (650 thousand km2; 250 thousand sq mi) of public land, or nearly 10 percent of the total area of the United States, was given away free to 1.6 million homesteaders; most of the homesteads were west of the Mississippi River.
A land run or land rush was an event in which previously restricted land of the United States was opened to homestead on a first-arrival basis. Lands were opened and sold first-come or by bid, or won by lottery, or by means other than a run.
Unclaimed land — land to which no one has claimed ownership rights — and free-and-clear land doesn't exist in the United States. However, if you're willing to build a home or start a business, towns and cities in a handful of states will give you a free lot to build on.
The Homestead Act of 1862 was a law that gave people free land in the west of the U.S. in order to expand the country westward and settle the land with farms. A homesteader, or a person wanting to settle the land, had to be 21 years old or the head of a family to qualify.
The prime land across the country was homesteaded quickly. Successful Homestead claims dropped sharply after the 1930s. The Homestead Act remained in effect until 1976, with provisions for homesteading in Alaska until 1986.
Homestead Act of 1862, in U.S. history, significant legislative action that promoted the settlement and development of the American West. It was also notable for the opportunity it gave African Americans to own land. Pres. Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act into law on May 20, 1862.
Thousands of women took advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862 that offered free federal land in the United States. Women who were single, widowed, divorced, or deserted were eligible to acquire 160 acres of federal land in their own name.
“Unfortunately, the act was framed so ambiguously that it seemed to invite fraud, and early modifications by Congress only compounded the problem. Most of the land went to speculators, cattlemen, miners, lumbermen, and railroads.”
Thousands of African-Americans made their way to Kansas and other Western states after Reconstruction. The Homestead Act and other liberal land laws offered blacks (in theory) the opportunity to escape the racism and oppression of the post-war South and become owners of their own tracts of private farmland.
The Homestead Act of 1862 was a revolutionary concept for distributing public land in American history. This law turned over vast amounts of the public domain to private citizens. 270 millions acres, or 10% of the area of the United States was claimed and settled under this act.
The Homestead Act increased the number of people in the western United States. Most Native Americans watched the arrival of homesteaders with unease. As more settlers arrived, they found themselves pushed farther from their homelands or crowded onto reservations.
A shortage of investigators also allowed false claims to be approved. And unpredictable weather, water shortages and remoteness led many homesteaders to abandon their claims well before the five-year mark. But with improvements in rail lines and growing populations, new towns and states were created.
You were required to live on and cultivate or improve your plot of land. You were entitled to the property free and clear after five years for a small fee (about $18). You could claim the title on your land after just six months for minimal improvements and $1.25 per acre in fees.
Introduction: My name is Duane Harber, I am a modern, clever, handsome, fair, agreeable, inexpensive, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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