Development of the plains

• when was the homestead act

  1862
• what did the homestead act allow

  anyone over 21 is able to claim 160 acres of land
• what were the aims of the homestead act

  encourages settlement of the west
• conditions of the homestead act

  paid $10 for 160 acres

  if you lived on the homestead for 5 years you could keep it = proving up and paid $30 to own
• what were the impacts of the homestead act

  by 1876 6 million acres of land were owned by homesteaders

  80 million were owned by 1930

  gave unemployed, homeless, soldiers an opportunity to live

  more families
• what were the limitations of the homestead act

  only 40% of homesteads were proved up

  rich land owners bought many homesteaders
• SOLVING HOMESTEAD ISSUES: lack of timber


  nothing to build houses with = sod houses

  nothing to make fences with = in 1874 barbed wire was created

  nothing for cooking = used dung
• SOLVING HOMESTEAD ISSUES: lack of water

  windpumps were developed in 1874

  they went deep underground to get water underground
• when was the first transcontinental railroad completed

  1869
• the pacific railroad act 1862


  helped to develop settlement in the west
• why was a railroad useful


  enabled troops to quickly transport troops to deal with conflict

  Americans could keep in touch and could promote national unity

  helped spread the governments idea of manifest destiny

  goods could be transported
• the railroad act was initially blocked by the south however when the southern states temporarily left the union the act was passed
• why did the southern states block the railroad act

  it didnt support them