1. Head and tails Homestead Act Timber Culture Act Desert Land Act
Match the head to the tail – on the sheet
Head and tails
Homestead Act
Poverty; unemployment; expensive land; lack of land; racism
Timber Culture Act
1877: 640 acres of land that was very cheap to buy, but the land was very dry
Desert Land Act
Manifest Destiny; free land; lots of land; new beginning; opportunity
Push reasons to go west
1862: 160 acres of free land, so long as it was lived on and farmed for 5 years
Pull reasons to go west
1873: 160 acres of free land, but they had to plant trees on 40 acres of it

2. What problems do you think the Homesteaders would face?

3. Windmills/windpumps Dry farming Growing surplus Hard winter wheat
1874: a wind powered pump was invented that used the power of the wind to pump water night and day from underground. This water was used in the home and for farming
Dry farming
As soon as it rained or snowed, farmers would plough their fields. This meant that the moisture got trapped in the ground and the dusty surface was then exposed to more water
Growing surplus
At first, Homesteaders only grew enough food to feed themselves. Later on, they grew extra food that they could then sell for and they used the money to buy better equipment, which helped with farming
Hard winter wheat
The Homesteaders decided to grow crops that would survive the climates. They chose hard winter wheat/Turkey Red Wheat which grew very well in Russia, which had a similar climate
Barbed wire
1874: Joseph Glidden invented barbed wire. This provided a cheap and effective solution to the problem of fencing and growing crops
Sod-buster
John Deere invented a strong plough that could deal with the tough grass roots on the plains. It’s nickname was the sod-buster
Sod house
Homesteaders made their homes out of the sod from the ground. Although they were dirty, they provided shelter from the elements
Other machinery
From the 1880s other machinery was developed. This included reapers, binders and threshers. The machines increased the area that the homesteader could manage to farm
Hard work
The Homesteaders were determined, hard working and able/willing to adapt to their surroundings