The Homestead Act of 1862:
- Passed by President Abraham Lincoln, this law allowed any citizen or intended citizen over 21 to claim a plot of 160 acres of public land for free, as long as they improved the land by living on it and farming it for at least five years.
The Morrill Land-Grant Acts:
- Passed in 1862 and 1890, these laws granted public lands to states to establish colleges focusing on agriculture and mechanics, known as land-grant universities.
The Pacific Railway Acts:
- Passed in the 1860s, these laws granted large amounts of land to railroad companies to encourage the construction of transcontinental railroads. Railroad companies sold much of this land to settlers.
The Timber Culture Act of 1873:
- Granted settlers 160 acres of land if they planted trees on a quarter of the acreage and tended the trees for eight years.
The Desert Land Act of 1877:
- Allowed settlers to purchase up to 640 acres of arid or desert land in the Western states for $1.25 per acre, as long as they irrigated and cultivated the land within three years.
The Kincaid Act of 1904:
- Gave settlers homesteads of up to 640 acres in Alaska as long as they improved and cultivated the land for at least three years.
The Carey Act of 1894:
- Enabled Western states to select and improve arid lands and then allow settlers to purchase irrigated tracts.