Now that the Nation’s Growing…. How Do I Get Around??

It took over 250 years from the settlement at Jamestown until 1870 to turn 400 million acres of forest and praries to flourishing farms. Settling the second 400 million acres took only 30 years. Explain what accounted for the rapid transformation from

Federal Land Policy the federal government made huge land grants to the railroads 170 million acres worth a half a billion dollars- for laying track in the West In one grant both the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific received: 10 square miles of public land for every mile of track laid in a state 20 square miles of land for every mile of track laid in a territory

Homestead Act 1862 Congress passed the Homestead Act 160 acres of land free to any citizen or intended citizen who was head of household up to 600,000 families took advantage of governments offer.

Negative Effects: Private speculators, railroads and state government agents used the land grant for their personal gains. Cattlemen fenced in open land Miners and woodcutters claimed natural resources Only about 10 percent of the land was actually settled by the families for whom it was intended

The United States--1860

The United States-1870