Which act offered 160 acres to settlers for a small fee and required five years of residence?

Which act offered 160 acres to settlers for a small fee and required five years of residence?

• A. Dawes Act of 1887
• B. Homestead Act of 1862
• C. Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
• D. Gentleman's Agreement (1907-1908)

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how the federal government used land policy to promote settlement in the West. This act offered 160 acres to settlers for a small filing fee and required five years of residence and improvement before they could claim ownership. It was designed to attract families and build farms, towns, and economic activity across the frontier, turning unsettled public lands into productive farms through a relatively affordable path to ownership. The 160-acre parcel, modest cost, and the condition of living on and improving the land for several years defined this policy as a powerful engine of westward expansion after the Civil War. Other options address immigration restrictions or Native American policy rather than promoting land settlement, so they fit different purposes and don’t match the scenario of granting land for residence and cultivation.

The main idea here is how the federal government used land policy to promote settlement in the West. This act offered 160 acres to settlers for a small filing fee and required five years of residence and improvement before they could claim ownership. It was designed to attract families and build farms, towns, and economic activity across the frontier, turning unsettled public lands into productive farms through a relatively affordable path to ownership. The 160-acre parcel, modest cost, and the condition of living on and improving the land for several years defined this policy as a powerful engine of westward expansion after the Civil War.

Other options address immigration restrictions or Native American policy rather than promoting land settlement, so they fit different purposes and don’t match the scenario of granting land for residence and cultivation.