Homestead+Act+-+1862

This is a picture out Daniel Freeman homestead. Important because it was the first homestead created under the Republican-sponsored act in the United States. Picture was taken in 1904. //The homestead of Daniel Freeman.//. 2005. Image. 25 October 2010. .

The Homestead Act, which was passed May 20, 1862, inspired families to move west and settle into new territories by promising free land. While Many families had little money they took the risk because this new land and opportunity offered them the ability to make money and have a better life style then back at home. While the Homestead Act was passed in 1862 it did not take effect until January 1, 1863.

1. Either had to be 21 years of age or the Head of the household 2. Had to have plans to become a citizen or be a citizen already 3. Your intentions for owning the property, was using the land to work for yourself
 * Qualifications:**

Once you paid a small $10 fee for filing for the land you were offered 160 acres of land to start your homestead. The reason you did not have to pay for the land itself was because you had to pay for the building of your farm and house and finding all the equipment to work on your farm and seeds to plant all on your own. When you first receive your land it does not automatically belong to you. There were two ways you could earn the land and officially make it your property. The first was you could gain full ownership of the land was to build a house and farm that was no less then ten acres and keep it going for 5 years. The second option was to be a resident of that land for 6 months and then after that time was up you could for a $1.25 and acre buy land from the government. The reason many never fully came to own the property was because they were already coming over with little money, so to start a farm from scratch was too expensive. If you didn't choose to completely start from scratch you had to buy land from the government.


 * SIGNIFIGANCE:**
 * United States wanted people from East to come over to the West to help the expansion of the United States out west. Not only did it help the expansion but it gave people of the east a better opportunity which many had been looking for, for a long time. in 1846 Andrew Johnson was a huge leader on the Homestead Movement and continued to get bills turned down by congress to pass the Act. Then when Abraham Lincoln became president he finally passed the Homestead Act of 1862.**

T**he Homestead Act was divided into 8 sections like a lot of our major documents.**

States the purpose of the homestead Act. Hopes that more would migrate from east to the west. Help the colonies grow greater, and give people more opportunities.
 * Sections 1.**

States how to apply for the land. Instead of paying a fee for the land itself you paid a $10 fee for the filing.
 * Section 2.**

In order to keep arguments to a minimum about what land belonged to who, it was the land offices responsibility to keep all records of who had what land so they would have proof.
 * Sections 3**.

You cannot use your land to pay back debts that you may owe. If you owe a company a large amount of money you cannot sell them your land because then the land is no longer being used for private investment as intended.
 * Section 4.**

The consequences for not using your land as intended. If the government finds out you are not living on the property or you are using it for other purposes then individual growth then it will automatically be given back to the government.
 * Section 5.**

To make sure everything is equal, there will be a limit to how much land one can get. It becomes the land offices responsibility to control that.
 * Section 6.**

Restates 5, saying that for any crimes in general there will be consequences.
 * Section 7.**

This is written in a document, and the land offices and or government cannot twist things around. So if a human is qualified for the opportunity by having the money and the other qualifications they should be given the land.
 * Section 8.**

If you look at the Homestead Act, it was a failure. As stated before it is hard to start your own farm, when you have to buy everything yourself and you have little money. With little money you cannot buy land from the government either so this left very few people that were actual able to make it through all 5 years and gain the land to be entirely theirs.

"A handwritten copy of the Homestead Act, 1862." //<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Major Acts of Congress //. Ed. Brian K. Landsberg. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. //<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gale U.S. History In Context //. Web. 27 Oct. 2

Bibliography  Works Cited * Benson, Sonia, Daniel E. Brannen Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. “Homestead Act.” //Gale U.S. History In Context//. Ed. Lawrence W. Baker and Sarah Hermsen. Vol. 4. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 704-706. Print. * Woodbridge. “Homestead Act of 1862.” //Gale U.S. History in Context//. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2010.
 * "Homestead Movement." //Encyclopedia Britannica//. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2010.
 * "A handwritten copy of the Homestead Act, 1862." //<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Major Acts of Congress //. Ed. Brian K. Landsberg. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. //<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gale U.S. History In Context //. Web. 27 Oct. 2