The homesteaders came from all over the globe, from all walks of life. They were newly arrived immigrants. They were American farmers without land of their own in the east. They were families with young kids. They were single women. They were former slaves, freed during and after the Civil War.

What united this diverse group of people was the desire to own their own land. Together they were responsible for one of the most significant and enduring movements — both physically and culturally — of the expansion period of United States history. By granting 160 acres of free land to claimants, the Act allowed nearly any man or woman a chance to live the American dream.

The sheer number of people and land involved enlarged the scope and impact of the Act. Eventually, 270 million acres — 10% of the land in the United States — was claimed and settled under this Act. Nebraska had already become the main road to the west. So, it's no accident that one of the very first claims for land under the Act was in southeastern Nebraska, near the present town of Beatrice. Daniel Freeman was the name of the man who claimed the land, and his story is here.

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