CLEP US History II

Answer: A - The Homestead Act of 1862 sold tracts of western land (primarily in the Great Plains) to American citizens so cheaply that the government practically gave it away. It ultimately allowed 400,000 American families to establish private farms. Though the legislation was passed during the Civil War, Americans didn’t begin to really take advantage of the offer until after the fighting ended. Between 1860 and 1905, the number of farms in the United States tripled from two to six million.