Homestead Act
What year was the Homestead Act?
1862
What year was the Indian Removal Act?
1830
What was in the way of the railroads?
Mountains and Buffalo.
How many acres did the government allow a person to claim?
160 acres.
Why did the U.S. government support the killing of buffalo?
To eradicate the native's food supply and source of clothing/tools.
Who primarily worked on the railroads?
What is the Homestead Act?
When the U.S. government provided 160 acres of federal land to anyone who agreed to farm it.
What was the "trail of tears"?
How did the railroads help the west?
Made the exportation of resources easier
Facilitated the westward expansion.
What were the requirements needed to qualify for the Homestead Act?
21 years old.
A U.S. citizen.
Must agree to grow crops for 5 years.
Approximately how many natives died during removal/upon arriving at the Indian territories?
Over 10,000
How did the government pay for the railroads?
They give land to the companies for every mile of track they build.
How did the Homestead Act affect the U.S. governments effort to develop the western frontier?
Encouraged agricultural development and helped contribute to the growth of the U.S.
What was the purpose of the Indian Removal Act?
To make more land available to white settlers and help expedite the westward expansion.
How did the railroad influence the government's ability to control the natives?
Increased government presence and population growth.