Westward Expansion Civil War

There have been many factors that contribute to westward expansion before the Civil War, but it was the government’s approval of the Homestead Act and Pacific Railroad Act that were the key events that led to westward expansion after the Civil War.
The Homestead Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. This act set off a large movement westward resulting in the transfer of 270 million acres of public land to private individuals. The new law established a three-fold homestead acquisition process: filing an application, improving the land, and filing for deed of title. Any U.S. citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. Government could file an application and lay claim to 160 acres of surveyed Government land. For the next five years, the homesteader had to live on the land and improve it by building a dwelling and growing crops. After five years,

As a result, in many areas, the original homesteader did not stay on the land long enough to fulfill the claim. Other homesteaders who persevered began populating the land, building towns and schools and creating new states from the territories which lead to the rapid changes in transportation.
With Americans moving westward to start a new life after the Civil War, the transcontinental railroad was being built to link the United States from east to west. The new railroads provided easy transportation for homesteaders, and new immigrants were lured westward by railroad companies eager to sell off excess land at inflated prices. The new rail lines provided ready access to manufactured goods such as farm tools, barbed wire, linens, weapons, and even houses delivered. Like the homesteaders, the transcontinental railroad faced