Document 2: Homestead Act of 1862
The Homestead Act, passed by
Congress in 1862, declared that any
U.S. citizen could claim 160 acres of
government land west of the
Mississippi River (excluding Texas).
After paying a small registration fee,
homesteaders had to “improve” their
new land by living on it, building a
home, and planting crops. If the
settlers did this, and remained on the
land for five years, it would officially
become their property. The
Homestead Act opened up a vast 270
million acres (that’s 10% of the entire
U.S.!) to private citizens.
Pictured, left: Certificate granting settler 160
acres under the Homestead Act
Homesteaders faced many hardships on their new land,
including lack of rainfall, poor soil, and other harsh
conditions. Many homesteaders headed back east after a
few years, and less than half of all homesteaders officially
gained ownership of the land.
Despite the hardships, thousands of homesteaders
succeeded in making a new life for themselves. These
settlers included families, single women, recently freed
slaves, and newly arrived immigrants.
Pictured: Families of immigrants (above) and
former slaves (left) on their homesteads.
Because there are very few trees on the Great
Plains (shaded in the map below) where many
homesteads were located, settlers often had to
make their homes from mud and clay.
In Your Answer Packet...
Document 2: The Homestead Act
● On page 1 of your answer packet, find “Image One: Map of the United States”, and
circle the area of the U.S. where land was being given away under the Homestead Act
● On page 1 of your packet, answer Document 2 Questions:
○ Describe what the Homestead Act did (be specific)
○ Explain the purpose of the Homestead Act