A homestead act was one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant ownership at no cost of farmland called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres (65 hectares or one-fourth section) of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River. It was an expression of the "Free Soil" policy of Northerners who wanted individual farmers to own and operate their own farms, as opposed to slaveowners who would use gangs of slaves. - Source: Wikipedia
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