Which law granted 160 acres to settlers for a small fee and required five years of development on the land?

• A. Dawes Act of 1887
• B. Homestead Act of 1862
• C. Organic Act of 1916
• D. Social Security Act of 1935

Answer: (B)

Granting 160 acres to settlers for a small fee and requiring five years of development on the land reflects a push to populate the West by turning land into private farms. This policy is the Homestead Act of 1862. Passed during the Civil War and signed by Lincoln, it offered heads of households up to 160 acres if they filed a claim, paid a modest fee, and lived on and improved the land—building a dwelling and cultivating crops—for five years, after which they could Claim ownership. It aimed to encourage migration, farming, and national growth on the frontier, transforming how many Americans accessed land and structured opportunity in the West. The other laws address different goals: the Dawes Act focused on dividing tribal lands and assimilation rather than broad land grants for five-year development; the Organic Act of 1916 established the National Park Service; the Social Security Act of 1935 created welfare programs.