Homestead Act

The 1862 U.S. federal law that granted ownership of public land to settlers who improved it by farming and residing on the claim for a period of time. It made land affordable for ordinary settlers through low filing fees and minimal money down, and its provisions and eligibility rules (such as citizenship requirements) shaped who could access western land.

Claims that use this term

• Homestead Act claims were affordable for ordinary settlers with little money down
• The 1857 citizenship ruling excluded black people from Homestead Act land