Background
In May 1862, Lincoln signed the "House Law", which requires that each US citizen only pays 10 US dollars, and can have 160 acres of land in the west, continuously cultivate 5 years later became the legitimate owner of this land.
This measure has fundamentally eliminates the possibility of the southern slave owners to capture the western land, and also meets the urgent requirements of the majority of farmers, and greatly stimulates the enthusiasm of farmers.
After the United States is independent, the federal government has implemented nationalizedization of the western land and decided to sell according to the location to increase the government's income, repaying government bonds and meeting the requirements of land speculators. However, the sales of land units is large, high, and the western immigrants are unable to buy, so they have launched a long-term struggle for unpaid land.
Due to the obstruction of the southern slave owners, the bills that have been discontinued from the immigrant land were rejected by the Senate before the civil war. After the political representative of the southern slave owner withdrew from the Congress, the Lincoln government was able to realize the renovation of the Republican parties.
Since then, the House of Representatives and Senate will pass the home law from February 28, 1862 and May 6. On May 20, Lincoln enacted this decree.
Content
"地 法" stipulates:
Where a family is 21 years old, never participate in the rebellion of the citizens of the country, in an oath to get the land For the sake of cultivating and paying 10 US dollars, they can register that the total number of receipts of no more than 160 acres (1 acre = 0.40 hectares) is used as part, and the registrant lives and cultivables for 5 years, it can get the land license, thus The owner of the home.
"Home Law" also stipulates a folding clause, namely:
If the registrar is a priority purchase, it can be 1.25 per acre after 6 months. Price is purchased. This provision is later used by land speculators.
According to statistics, it is based on "House Law" and its supplementary decree, and the federal government has given immigrants to immigrants from 250 million acres in 1950.
Significance
"Home Law" satisfies the land requirements of the western cultivation farmers to a certain extent, establishing small agricultural land ownership, creating favorable conditions for the development of agricultural capitalism . Its implementation also inspires the struggle of Western farmers against the southern slaves to curb the slave plantation to the west.
and the "House Law" has the deepest impact on promoting the development of the west.
From 1862 to 1900, at least 60,000 families have benefited from it. And thousands of American Africans moved from the south to Kansas, they are called EXODUSTERS (meaning that escape).
In the North and South War, the western farmers sent more than half of the soldiers to the federal army, and provided sufficient food, which made an important role in the victory of the North.
Evaluation
Lincoln promulgated "House Law" pushed the activities of the Indians to the climax. The law stipulates that US citizens for 21-year-old US citizens can obtain no more than 160 acres (about 64.75 hectares) land in the west. Under the temptation of land and bounty, the white people ran to the region where the Indians were launched. The general of the US Nort-North War Times even left a "famous saying": "Only dead Indian talents are good Indians." (Xinhua Net Commentary)