History and Culture

The Homestead Act of 1862 was one of the most significant and enduring events in the westward expansion of the United States. It was a revolutionary concept for distributing public land. By granting 160 acres of free land to claimants, it allowed nearly any man or woman the opportunity to own land. Millions of people filed claims including, families, immigrants, single women, and formerly enslaved people.

Over 10 percent of the United States, or 270 million acres, was homesteaded! The land, long inhabited by indigenous cultures, changed forever. Homesteaders created settlements and farms, drove industrial advancement, and built the nation chasing the American Dream. For over a century, homesteaders would test their grit and endurance to own land in their name. Repercussions of this monumental piece of legislation can be detected throughout the United States of America today.

Homestead National Historical Park, located in Southeast Nebraska, commemorates this Act and the far-reaching effects it had upon the landscape and people.

It is the purpose of our government "to elevate the condition of men, to lift artificial burdens from all shoulders and to give everyone an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life."

- President Abraham Lincoln, July 4, 1861