AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: The Homestead Act (Day 164/309)

Hey APUSHers, let’s chat about the Homestead Act as part of my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

Poster advertising the Homestead Act of 1862, United States Senate

In 1862, the first of several Homestead Acts was passed. It provided 160 acres of land to hundreds of thousands of settlers who wished to migrate to the West.

Certificate of Homestead in Nebraska, Wikimedia Commons

Through the provisions of the legislation, an applicant acquired ownership of government land, known as a homestead. They paid a filing fee, had to live and make improvements to the land, and then, after “proving up” would become owners of the land.

Chrisman Sisters, Wikimedia Commons

Very few requirements were necessary to take part in this land bonanza. So, many different groups of people took advantage of the opportunity including immigrants, single women, and formerly enslaved people.

Land Acquisition and Dispossession, Mapping the Homestead Act, 1863-1912, The Digital Scholarship Lab

As a result of the Homestead Acts, around 270 million acres, or 10% of the United States was claimed by nearly four million homesteaders. 

The Homestead Act of 1862 played a pivotal role in the settlement of the west during the 19th and 20th centuries as settlers were able to acquire 160 acres of land for just a simple filing fee.

Join me tomorrow as I explain Technological Improvements in Agriculture in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!