Claim: GCSE History Definition

What was a Claim?

In GCSE History, a claim is when someone legally announces that they intend to control an area of land. Claims were incredibly important in the American West.

Problems with Claims in the American West

As mass migration brought many settlers to the West, people frantically began claiming land. In California, this revolved around finding gold. Many settlers wanted the best land, leading to 'claim jumping.' This was when someone stole another person's claim if they believed it looked profitable. Previous settlers also made significant money by 'salting a claim.' If the previous settler had worthless land, they sold it to a newer settler by scattering some gold on it. From this, settlers could make claims under the Homestead Act.

Land Rushes

Claiming land in the American West also involved land rushes. When Indigenous peoples had land taken from them, the US government divided the land into 160-acre sections. They set a time and a date that settlers could claim the plots. This created chaotic scenes of thousands of settlers running to claim land.

Claim Revision Resources to Ace Your Exams

Explore our revision notes for Edexcel GCSE and AQA GCSE to see where claims fit into the revision notes for those specifications.

Explore Our GCSE History Revision Resources