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Difficulty: EasyWestward Expansion: Economic and Social Development

Source: The Homestead Act, 1862.

"Sec. 2. ...that the person applying for the benefit of this act shall... make affidavit... that said entry is made for the purpose of actual settlement and cultivation, and not either directly or indirectly for the use or benefit of any other person or persons whomsoever..."

Which of the following was a primary economic or social effect of the federal policy described in the excerpt during the late nineteenth century?

  1. It encouraged a massive wave of migration and agricultural settlement by individual families on the Great Plains.Answer
  2. B
    It succeeded in preserving Native American communal land rights by shielding tribal reservations from private settlement.
  3. C
    It reflected the federal government's adherence to a strict laissez-faire policy by refusing to distribute public land.
  4. D
    It was primarily championed by urban Progressive reformers to establish municipal cooperative food markets.

Answer

It encouraged a massive wave of migration and agricultural settlement by individual families on the Great Plains.
The correct answer is the option stating that the policy encouraged a massive wave of migration and agricultural settlement by individual families on the Great Plains. The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed settlers to acquire 160 acres of public land for a small fee if they lived on it and cultivated it for five years, which directly accelerated the settlement of the western frontier by individual farming families.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the source and core policy described in the stimulus.
The stimulus is the Homestead Act of 1862, which granted public land to individuals for the purpose of 'actual settlement and cultivation.'
To understand the goal of the policy being tested.
2
Recall the historical context and outcomes of the Homestead Act in the late nineteenth century.
The act allowed millions of acres of western land to be settled by individual families, driving agricultural expansion in the Great Plains.
To connect the policy to its historical economic and social effects.
3
Evaluate the options to find the one that matches this historical effect.
The option describing migration and agricultural settlement by families on the Great Plains is the correct choice.
To select the option that directly demonstrates mastery of the learning objective.

Key Concept

The Homestead Act of 1862 facilitated westward migration and agricultural development by offering free land to individuals who cultivated it.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Westward Expansion: Economic and Social Development

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