Which U.S. president signed the Homestead Act into law in 1862?

Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act into law in 1862. The act was approved on May 20, 1862, and offered eligible applicants up to 160 acres of surveyed public land in return for improving and living on it.

A homesteader generally had to be at least 21 years old or the head of a household, live on the land for five years, and make improvements. After meeting the requirements, the applicant could receive ownership without paying the normal land price, although filing and administrative fees still applied.

The law encouraged settlement of western territories during the Civil War and helped create farms, towns, and transportation links. It also had severe consequences for Indigenous nations because the federal government opened Indigenous lands to non-Indigenous settlement and reduced Native control of territory.

The Homestead Act did not give land automatically to everyone who applied. Claimants had to satisfy legal requirements, and many abandoned claims because of drought, poor soil, distance from markets, or other hardships.