This 1862 act gave 160 acres of free land to anyone who had lived on it & improved it for 5 years
[DOC] [TLE] The Homestead Act of 1862 - US History Scene [PAR] The Homestead Act of 1862; The Morrill Land Grant Act; The Pacific Railway Act 
... a homestead of up to 160 acres of government land, and improve the land by 
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