Passed by congress during the lincoln administration, this law permitted settlers to buy a plot of 160 acres of land for a small fee if they agreed to occupy and improve it for five years; this law was instrumental in drawing settlers onto western lands:

The Homestead Act of 1862 was passed by Congress under President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. This law allowed citizens or intended citizens of the US that had not fought against the US Government to claim 160 acres of public land for a minimal fee, provided that they live there and improve the land by cultivating it. This law brought many settlers into the west because it freed up millions of acres of lands for people to use for a very small price.