Download Farmers (Homesteaders)

Homesteaders (Farmers)
Congress passed the Homestead Act in 1862, after the
southern states had left the Union. Signed into law by Abraham
Lincoln, the new law provided that a citizen could claim 160 acres
(one quarter of a square mile) of surveyed government land for free.
The only qualification was that a homesteader had to be a head of
household at least 21 years of age. Homesteaders had to “prove up”
(improve) the land in order to keep their claim, free and clear. Proving
up the land included building a home, growing crops, and living on
the land for five years. After completing these requirements,
homesteaders became the legal owners of the land.
The first wave of homesteaders after the Civil
War hailed mostly from the Ohio and Mississippi
valleys. They were joined by eastern farmers without
land of their own, war widows and other single
women, and former slaves. Later, railroad
companies encouraged European immigrants to
come to America and become homesteaders. The
railroads hoped to profit by giving farmers and
ranchers a way to ship their crops and livestock to
market.
More than 15,000 African Americans
(known as Exoduses) moved to Kansas after racially
tensions worsened in the South.
The impact of the Homestead Act is still felt today. One
important impact was on the environment. In the mid 1800s, great
herds of grazing buffalo roamed the plains. The buffalo all but
disappeared as they were killed by settlers and starved by dwindling
grazing lands. Also, as wheat farms replaced grasslands, the soil
became susceptible to powdering during droughts. Heavy winds in
the area evolved into violent dust storms.
Homesteaders (Farmers)
Congress passed the Homestead Act in 1862, after the
southern states had left the Union. Signed into law by Abraham
Lincoln, the new law provided that a citizen could claim 160 acres
(one quarter of a square mile) of surveyed government land for free.
The only qualification was that a homesteader had to be a head of
household at least 21 years of age. Homesteaders had to “prove up”
(improve) the land in order to keep their claim, free and clear. Proving
up the land included building a home, growing crops, and living on
the land for five years. After completing these requirements,
homesteaders became the legal owners of the land.
The first wave of homesteaders after the Civil
War hailed mostly from the Ohio and Mississippi
valleys. They were joined by eastern farmers without
land of their own, war widows and other single
women, and former slaves. Later, railroad
companies encouraged European immigrants to
come to America and become homesteaders. The
railroads hoped to profit by giving farmers and
ranchers a way to ship their crops and livestock to
market.
More than 15,000 African Americans
(known as Exoduses) moved to Kansas after racially
tensions worsened in the South.
The impact of the Homestead Act is still felt today. One
important impact was on the environment. In the mid 1800s, great
herds of grazing buffalo roamed the plains. The buffalo all but
disappeared as they were killed by settlers and starved by dwindling
grazing lands. Also, as wheat farms replaced grasslands, the soil
became susceptible to powdering during droughts. Heavy winds in
the area evolved into violent dust storms.