Louisiana Purchase
In 1803 the United States purchased a large area of land from the
French, this was known as the Louisiana Purchase.
Why did the United States want more land?
The United States was growing very fast and needed more land to
plant crops and raise livestock. People had been making there way
westward and the areas east of them were becoming over
populated.
How big was it?
The Louisiana Purchase was very large. It was 828,000 square
miles and doubled the size of the United States, eventually 15 new
states would develop.
How much did it cost?
The Louisiana Purchase ended up costing 15 million dollars.
Homestead Act
On May 20, 1862, President Lincoln signed the Homestead Act.
The Homestead Act encouraged people to move westward by
giving them 160 acres of public land. All they had to do was be at
least 21 years of age, pay a small filling fee, and live on the land
for 5 years before receiving ownership of the land.
These are pioneers moving westward to receive free land.
Why was the Homestead Act important?
It made people from the overcrowded east want to move west to
start a new life with there own land. It also gave former slaves a
chance to own their own land, house, and farm. Also the land had
been cleared of Native Americans so it went from self-governing
Native American tribes to taxpaying farmers. In the end it led to
the distribution of millions of acres of public land by 1900.
What other acts encouraged settlement
The Homestead Act was modified to make it even easier for
pioneers to settle land. In 1873, the Timber Culture Act was
passed, that gave settlers another 160 acres of land if they planted
trees on the land. So some of the pioneers would get 360 acres
instead of only 160 acres. The North Atlantic Railroad, which
obtained about 25% of North Dakota’s land mass, also sold land
for 3-5 dollars per acre Then in the 1900’s as pioneers pushed into
the warmer southern areas of the U.S., they changed the
Homestead Act by giving out 640 acres instead of only 160. The
thought of that much free land got some more pioneers to come but
it slowly kept getting less and less. So in 1876 the government
stopped accepting applications for the homesteads. By the end of
the Homestead Act, millions of acres of farmland had been given
away to farmers and homesteaders.
Dakota Territory to Statehood
On March 2, 1861, the Dakota Territory was created. The name
was taking from the Dakota Indians, which means “allies.” It
consisted of present-day North Dakota and South Dakota, and most
of Montana and Wyoming but in 1868 the size was reduced to the
area of North and South Dakota. With more and more immigration
and settlement, by the late 1880’s Northern Dakota had 190,000
people and Southern Dakota had over 340,000 people. Both of
those numbers met the requirements to justify statehood. So on
November 2, 1889, both North and South Dakota were admitted to
the United States. Therefore North Dakota being the 39th and South
Dakota being the 40th state admitted to the United States.
First Dakota Territorial Governor
William A. Jayne
Residence: Springfield, Illinois
Years Served: 1861-1863
Date of Inauguration: May 27, 1861
Age at Inauguration: 34
Politics: Republican (former Whig)
Born: Springfield, Illinois - October 8, 1826
Died: Springfield, Illinois - March 21, 1916
Cool Information:
William A. Jayne was a medical doctor and served as Abraham Lincoln's
personal physician in Springfield, Illinois.
First Governor Of North Dakota
John Miller
Residence: Dwight, Richland County
Years Served: 1889-1891
Date of Inauguration: November 20, 1889
Age at Inauguration: 46
Politics: Republican
Born: Dryden, New York - October 29, 1843
Died: Duluth, Minnesota - October 26, 1908
Cool information:
He spent his life bonanza farming and related business.
Source Page
1.: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/ndfahtml/ngp_nd_terr.html
2.http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/homesteadact/images/homestead-certificate.jpg
3.http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/westward_expansion/homesteadact.htm
4.http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/louisiana_purchas
e.php