Westward Expansion Of The Gold Rush And The Homestead Act

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The west was an expansion area which had a lot of resources and many opportunities for all type of people, they saw the west as the place you could do whatever you want and be whoever you want. The Gold Rush and the Homestead Act were two things that really impacted the way of how the US were formed changing the structure of the country and the point of view about expansion and the distribution of lands. The Gold Rush of 1849 was the most important event because it concentrated almost all of the attention of one nation in one objective. “When gold was discovered in west of the US, thousands of prospective miners traveled by sea or by land to San-Francisco” (History.com). Basically, lots of people traveled there to get rich and a prospective …show more content…

Basically, the reason why the Gold Rush of 1849 was the most important event in the Westward Expansion was because gold was discovered in California, consequently this brought too many people to there. The Homestead Act set in motion a program of public land grants to small farmers and any adult citizen or who want to become a citizen. “The Homestead Act opened up settlement in the western US, allowing any american to put a claim for up to 160 acres of land” (History.com). When the Homestead Act was signed, anyone including freed slaves, could have their own lands, this cat also helped small farmers. “The Homestead Act provided that any adult citizen or person who wanted the become a citizen who headed a family, could qualify for a grant of 160 acres of public land by paying small registration fee and living there for 5 years” (History.com). The Homestead Act also helped people who are not citizen, and people who headed a family, with the condition of 5 years living there and by paying a small fee. Basically, the Homestead Act helped many people by providing land for

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