Homestead Act

Questions for Further Study

• 1. Laura Ingalls Wilder's captivating portrayal of growing up in a pioneering family, in the shadow of the Homestead Act, has become part of America's popular cultural tradition, both in terms of literature (the Little House series) and television (Little House on the Prairie). Compare and contrast Wilder's portrayal of homesteading in either format with that of her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, who wrote the novel Free Land as a corrective. How might you account for the differing perceptions?
• 2. The Homestead Act has become an iconic American symbol of grit and determination, independence, virtuous agrarianism, and democracy. But who really profited from this movement toward western homesteads? Who did not profit, and why? Given that ultimately much undesirable land was brought under cultivation, what environmental implications does this suggest?
• 3. Contemporaries often considered that the Homestead Act represented a bet on the government's part that settlers could not reside on, improve, and prove up their 160-acre claims within five years. The title to the land and the filing fee were at stake. Whether male or female, is homesteading a challenge you would have undertaken? Why? Given the historical context, what would you have hoped to gain?