1 2

3

4

5

The Homestead Act 1862

• 160 acres free land for each family.

• Homesteaders had to build a house on the land and live there for 5 years to get the land free.

• If they wanted to have the land more quickly, they had to pay for it.

• Some said the amount of land was too small, particularly in the high plains were soil was infertile.

• Better farm machinery meant you could bring more land under cultivation.

• Land speculators decided to use the law to make a profit, they got their employees to get the land free and then sold it at a higher price.

• After 1873 a Homesteader could get 480 acres if they claimed land under the 1841, 1862 and 1873 Acts.

• In 1877 the government passed the Desert Land Act allowing people to buy 160 acres if rainfall was a problem in their area.

• The Homestead act offered 2.5m acres of land.

• Thousands of farmers got free land.

• Many farmers got a shock when they arrived, the land was terrible.

• Tools and seeds used by farmers in the East were useless in the western soil.

The Homestead Act 1862

• 160 acres free land for each family.

• If they wanted to have the land more quickly, they had to pay for it.

• After 1873 a Homesteader could get 480 acres if they claimed land under the 1841, 1862 and 1873 Acts.

• In 1877 the government passed the Desert Land Act allowing people to buy 160 acres if rainfall was a problem in their area.

• The Homestead act offered 2.5m acres of land.

• Thousands of farmers got free land.

• Homesteaders had to build a house on the land and live there for 5 years to get the land free.

• Some said the amount of land was too small, particularly in the high plains were soil was infertile.

• Better farm machinery meant you could bring more land under cultivation.

• Land speculators decided to use the law to make a profit, they got their employees to get the land free and then sold it at a higher price.

• Many farmers got a shock when they arrived, the land was terrible.

• Tools and seeds used by farmers in the East were useless in the western soil.

Was life on the Homestead tougher for men or women?

MEN: (p. 65-6)• Lack of water• Shortage of building materials• Extreme weather• Prairie fires and plagues• Problems with crops

WOMEN: (p. 67-8)• Illness (children)• Medical care• Substitute items• Reading and writing• Cooking• Replacing items• Loneliness

• The Homesteader’s are famous for writing letters home. You have got to West and realised you have made a dreadful mistake. You are writing home to your friends telling them NOT to follow you. You need to include details of:

Was life on the Homestead tougher for men or women?