Question

question 2 of 10

to encourage settlement of the west, the u.s. federal government created the ______.

a. homestead act
b. treaty of guadalupe hidalgo
c. dawes act
d. pacific railway act

Explanation:

Analyze the question prompt

Using the Westward Expansion knowledge point, we identify that the question asks for a federal policy designed specifically to encourage the settlement of the West by individuals.

Evaluate the options

• A. Homestead Act: Passed in 1862, this act allowed any citizen or intended citizen to claim 160 acres of surveyed government land, provided they lived on and improved it. This directly incentivized individual settlement.
• B. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: Signed in 1848, this treaty ended the Mexican-American War and ceded vast territories to the U.S., but did not directly establish a settlement program for citizens.
• C. Dawes Act: Passed in 1887, this act aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual allotments, rather than encouraging general western settlement.
• D. Pacific Railway Act: Passed in 1862, this act promoted the construction of the transcontinental railroad through land grants to railroad companies, rather than directly granting land to individual settlers.

Select the correct option

The Homestead Act of 1862 was the primary legislative tool created by the federal government to directly encourage individual families to move west and settle the land.

Answer:

• A. Homestead Act (Correct answer)
• B. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
• C. Dawes Act
• D. Pacific Railway Act