Answer to Question #156217 in History for Chris

Question

How did the Homestead Act contribute to the settlement of the Great Plains?

Answer 1

The Homestead Act played a part in encouraging farming to be done on the great plains. Homestead act offered up to 160 acres of public land freely to any family that had decided to settle there for up to five years. The homestead act promised free land and Railroad and promotions to land speculators, which induced hundreds of thousands of immigrant and native-born families to attempt farming on the great plains. There were about 500,000 families who took advantage.