AP Success - AP US History: The Homestead Act & Western Settlement
Homestead Act (1862). National Archives."The Homestead Act, enacted during the Civil War in 1862, provided that any adult citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land. Claimants were required to live on and “improve” their plot by cultivating the land. After five years on the land, the original filer was entitled to the property, free and clear, except for a small registration fee. Title could also be acquired after only a six-month residency and trivial improvements, provided the claimant paid the government $1.25 per acre. After the Civil War, Union soldiers could deduct the time they had served from the residency requirements."
Question 1
What was a primary requirement for an individual to claim land under the Homestead Act of 1862?
The claimant was obligated to establish a mining operation on the land.
The claimant was required to live on and improve the land by cultivating it.
The claimant needed to pay a large sum upfront to secure the land.
The claimant had to be a former Confederate soldier seeking reconciliation.
Question 2
Which group of people was explicitly excluded from taking advantage of the Homestead Act?
Adult citizens who had previously owned land.
Union soldiers who had served in the Civil War.
People who were not citizens of the United States.
Individuals who had borne arms against the U.S. government.
Question 3
How could Union soldiers benefit from the Homestead Act after the Civil War?
They could deduct the time they had served from the residency requirements.
They were exempt from the requirement to improve the land.
They were granted double the amount of land compared to other claimants.
They received the land for free without any registration fee.
Question 4
What was the purpose of the Homestead Act of 1862?
To create reservations for Native American tribes.
To redistribute land from wealthy landowners to poorer citizens.
To encourage settlement and cultivation of government land.
To provide land for the construction of transcontinental railroads.
Question 5
What was an alternative to fulfilling the five-year residency requirement to obtain title to the land under the Homestead Act?
Claimants could substitute the residency requirement with a recommendation from a state governor.
Claimants could bypass the residency by planting a specific quota of trees on the land.
Claimants could acquire title after a six-month residency and trivial improvements if they paid $1.25 per acre.
Claimants could receive title by serving in the U.S. military for at least one year.
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