The Homestead Act of 1862 affected the economy of the West, added states to support the idea of Manifest Destiny and pushed Native Americans further West.
The Homestead Act of 1862 spanned over 123 years. It first started when Abraham Lincoln signed the act, bringing it into congress. It was an American Law that became so on January 1, 1863 that allowed, in simple terms, anyone to earn 160 acres of free land. Before the Homestead Act was official on July 4, 1861 Former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln stated that it was the purpose of the 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." (Homestead National Monument of America). It hinted the idea of Manifest Destiny and a right to the “American Dream”. The Homestead Act was targeted towards the poor in the view of the fact that everyone should gain an equal chance at life no matter what your orientation.
Another man, George W. Bush, talked about the American idea of freedom and how this played into the Homestead Act. On January 20, 2005 Bush said, “In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. This is a broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act …” (Freedom, In America's Ideal of. National Parks Service.). The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 enable the Homestead Act in 48 states. The first person to follow up with the Homestead Act was a man named Daniel Freeman. Daniel Freeman filed a claim and became an example for future Homesteaders. His act led to the Freeman School and the First Homestead Cabin. Deardorff was the last person to follow up with the Homestead Act and in doing so took advantage of the benefits from the late time. The act had many positive as well as negative attributes.
Before the Homestead Act there was free range land where animals like cattle and buffalo roamed free, grazing where they pleased. Not many people were moving out West before the Homestead Act at the time. The government emphasized
the idea of Manifest Destiny to get people to voluntarily move out West and cultivate the land. Before 1862 there was a popular campaign article about Selling Farm land. Even before the act selling farm land occurred often, just not at the rate and price that the Homestead Act enabled.
In 1863 the word "free land" was a major attraction among landless American citizens. From 1830 and on people demanded for ‘free distribution’ of the land. The opportunity stated it would weigh toward the poor population creating the “American Dream”. This didn’t end up happening because of railway owners, the journey out West, and the lack of government assist towards the poor. The Southern States feared that slaves would hear of the act and try to escape. They also feared for the slave owners whose land decreased in worth.
Life after the Homestead Act created a new American West with people occupying it along with newly adding cultivation. After the Homestead Act the Railroad Act was signed creating more immigration as well as transportation. The immigration soon became a problem for the West and began to affect the environment and the economy. The railroads created easy transportation due to the fact that most of the well developed lands went to railroad owners who then turned them into railroads. The population in the West increased after the act. Now that land was distributed through the West, the South saw the West as more of a threat.