Which policy granted land to settlers to promote westward expansion?

• A. The Morrill Land-Grant Act
• B. The Homestead Act
• C. The Dawes Act
• D. The Pacific Railway Act

Answer: (B)

The policy that directly handed land to ordinary settlers to promote moving westward is the Homestead Act. Enacted in 1862, it offered 160 acres to adults who were or intended to be U.S. citizens, with the obligation to live on the land, build a dwelling, and cultivate the property for five years before gaining full ownership. This approach tied land to personal settlement and farming, which spurred vast migration into the Plains and other western regions and helped establish farms, towns, and communities.

The other options served different purposes. The Morrill Land-Grant Act provided land to states to fund colleges, not to individual settlers. The Dawes Act redistributed tribal lands to individuals but aimed at assimilation of Native Americans, reshaping land ownership rather than broadly promoting westward settlement by settlers. The Pacific Railway Act offered land and loans to railroad companies to build transcontinental lines, which facilitated settlement but did not grant land directly to settlers for farming in the same way.