A new home in America part 2

A homestead is an area of land that includes a house and its buildings

This act made it possible for Americans to get 160 acres of land for very little money

Agree to build a house and live on the land for 5 years

After that, the person would own the land

Thousands of families traveled west to find a new home

The reason why it was 5 years was because people needed time to settle into communities

Immigrants

Slaves

Start new lives

Farm and feed their families

Start new communities

Enjoy religious freedom

Lack of materials- built houses with anything they could find

Carried water in buckets

Grew all of their food

Neighbors were far away from each other so it was difficult to get help

Many people returned home because life on the frontier as a homesteader was too harsh