lesson
The Homestead Act and Farming the Great Plains
Describe how the Homestead Act of 1862 encouraged families to settle and cultivate prairie land in the West.
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This lesson is part of a track
Public learning track
Settling the Frontier: Migration, Railroads, and Western Industries
7 lessons
Goal
Examine the geographic challenges, transportation developments, and major industries such as farming, ranching, and mining that drove westward migration.
7 lessons
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- Geography and Terrain of the Western FrontierUp next
- The Homestead Act and Farming the Great PlainsYou are here
- Building the Transcontinental RailroadNot started yet
- Chinese and Irish Immigrant Railroad WorkersNot started yet
- The Cattle Kingdom: Cowboys and RanchersNot started yet
- Mining Boomtowns and the Search for Gold and SilverNot started yet
- Conflicts on the Range: Ranchers, Miners, and FarmersNot started yet
Learning standards covered
SS.5.13West Virginia Social Studies Standards · All agesExplain the social and economic effects of Westward Expansion on Native Americans, including changes in federal policies, armed conflicts, opposing views concerning land ownership and Native American displacement.
SS.5.16West Virginia Social Studies Standards · All agesIllustrate the effects of settlement on the environment of the West, (e.g., changes in the physical and human systems, etc.).