HOMESTEAD ACT

The homestead act was signed by Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862. The Homestead Act was a way for pioneers to get land. Here's how it worked. The citizen could get 160 acres of land, and had to be 21 or older. They also had to show all the signs that they were actually living on the land, (building a house, growing crops, etc.) and meet other requirements before it was officially theirs. It was a three-step process:

1. Fill out an application

2. Improve the land they were going to live on (clear the land, grow crops)

3. File for the title deed