The Homestead Act, 1862 (Edexcel GCSE History)

The Homestead Act was a solution to affordable and successful settlement of the West. The US government believed that offering cheap land to settlers could encourage people to move westward. Establishing new farms and communities would fulfil Manifest Destiny and expand the USA.

The Act promoted economic growth. The Homestead Act had specific terms that rewarded the cultivation of the land. The government hoped that this would increase the nation's food supply. This was particularly important during the 1850s. The USA was experiencing rapid population growth through immigration.

The government wanted to assert its authority and control over the western territories. After wars with Mexico and the Confederacy, the US government wanted to establish a strong presence in the West. Another consideration was the threat to Indigenous tribes. The Homestead Act focused on farming land in the Plains. The US government wanted the Plains to become more hospitable to reduce the power of Indigenous peoples.

Homesteads were 160 acres, enough for a house and land to support the family

It costs $10 to claim a homestead plot or 'file a claim'

Any of the following people could make a claim:

• The head of the family

• Single and over the age of 21

• Younger than 21 if they were an ex-soldier

• Former enslaved people and women

A person had a limited amount of claims. They had to live on and work the land to gain the plot. After five years, a person could pay $30 to 'prove up' or own their homestead if they had:

• Built a house

• Planted five acres of crops

By 1876, the government had turned six million acres of land into homesteads

Only 40% of claims were 'proved up' due to the difficulties of farming on the Plains

Homesteads changed the landscape of the Plains. For example, half of all land in Nebraska was homestead land. It became a state in 1867

The government sold more land to railway companies and cattle ranchers than they did to homesteaders

The Act encouraged immigration from Europe to the West

Cattle ranchers made their employees file homestead claims and give them the land for the ranch

Many people bought land from railway companies. Through a form of squatting, they were able to 'prove up' their claim through the Homestead Act. This undermined the purpose of the Act

The government allowed people to buy their claim for $1.25 per acre if they had lived on the land for six months and ploughed one acre. Many people did this and then sold the land for a profit