The Homestead Act of 1862 Text and Image Analysis

Students will read excerpts of the 1862 Homestead Act and answer 20 questions to demonstrate an understanding of the material. They will then read 6 presidential quotes about the Homestead Act (Hayes, Truman, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush) and answer 16 question. Next, students will analyze 6 images according to 5 prompts. Lastly, they will complete a sorting chart and respond to a short answer question to review the reasons for the Homestead Act and its impact on Native Americans. The answers are included where appropriate and this would be great for a sub! See the preview for a closer look! 

 Sample questions include:
--Which of those stipulations could have presented a problem to some families given the historical context, and why?
--For what purpose(s) were families to be allocated western land? 
--Summarize the significance of Section 4 to the person living on and working the land.
--Whose point of view is missing from this document, and inferring from the historical context, why do you think that was the case?
--Identify and explain 3 challenges those taking advantage of the Homestead Act would have faced.
--Explain the connection made between liberty and the Homestead Act. Did said liberty apply to all living in the area, why or why not?
--What does Reagan see as setting American liberty apart from other perspectives of liberty?
--Explain the meaning of the phrase, “laboring on the edge of subsistence.”

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