![]() S. Butcher Collection Image The Homestead Act of 1862 has been called one of the most important pieces of Legislation in the history of the United States. The act was signed into law by Abraham Lincoln after the southern states seceded. ![]() Native Americans and the Homestead ActTo settlers, immigrants, and homesteaders, the West was empty land. To American Indians, it was home. ![]() Creation of the ParkLearn the history about how Homestead National Monument of America came to be. ![]() Presidential Quotes about HomesteadingPerspectives of U.S. Presidents about the Homestead Act ![]() Read the Homestead ActRead the wording of the Homestead Act of 1862 ![]() Homesteading RecordsEvery homesteading claim generated a patent sent and a written record known as a case file. Learn how to find these records. A homesteader had to be the head of a household or at least 21 years of age to claim a 160 acre parcel of land. Settlers from all walks of life worked to meet the challenge of "proving up". They included immigrants, farmers without land of their own, single women, and formerly enslaved people.
|
Last updated: December 12, 2021