The Homestead Act was a United States Federal law that gave freehold title to 160 acres (one quarter section or about 65 hectares) of undeveloped land in the American West. The person to whom title was granted had to be at least 21 years of age, and to have built on the section, and lived in for 5 years, a house that was at least 12 by 14 feet in size. The Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862.
The Homestead Act helped create more than 372,000 farms.
The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 ended homesteading.
