08 Apr '24 17:33>
@spruce112358 saidYou leave stuff out. That qualifies you as a liberal. People had to qualify, Spruce. Your post is quite misrepresentative when trying to compare early settlers to these people doing whatever in the hell they are doing.
No - we sent them out West and gave them 160 acres (Homestead Act). They had to bring their own mule, though. Mule Not Included.
The Preemption Act of 1841 allowed settlers to claim up to 160 acres of federal land for themselves and prevent its sale to others including large landowners or corporations; they paid only a low fixed price of $1.25 per acre ($3.09 per hectare). To qualify, a person had to be either 21 years old or a "head of household" (such as a parent or surviving sibling supporting a family), a citizen or an immigrant declaring to become a citizen, and a resident on that land for a minimum of 14 months. To get permanent title to the land, the person had to accomplish specific things, such as continue to reside on it or improve it for at least five years; they could not leave or abandon it for more than six months at a time.