Library of Congress
Federal Land Grants in the 19th Century
By Michael A . Martorelli
Throughout the 19th century , United States government officials believed making meaningful quantities of free land available to a variety of private parties would hasten the country ’ s economic development . Gaining such an asset would enable citizens and businesses alike to establish their permanent presence , first in the territory on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains , then later across the vast plains of the Midwest and
“ American Progress ,” by George A . Crofutt , circa 1873 . The print shows an allegorical female figure of America leading pioneers westward , as they travel on foot , in a stagecoach , by conestoga wagon and by railroads , where they encounter Native Americans and herds of bison .
West . Of course , it needs to be acknowledged that thousands of Native American inhabitants of North America did not recognize the right of any government to acquire , sell or give away the lands they had been living on for centuries . Accepting that reality does not change two facts : 1 ) the US government acquired almost 1.5 billion acres of land from 1781 to 1853 , and 2 ) during the 19th century , it granted almost 40 % of its public domain lands to the individual states , as well as homesteaders , universities , veterans , loggers , miners and developers of wagon roads , canals , railroads and river improvements .
Land Grants for Veterans
The Continental Congress passed the first land grant law in 1776 . It gave soldiers or their heirs different sized tracts of land as partial payment for their military service .
The size of the grants ranged from 100 acres for privates and non-commissioned officers to 1,100 acres for major generals . Over the succeeding decades , Congress extended the provision for land bounties to veterans of the War of 1812 and the Mexican War , as well as those who participated in various Indian wars from 1778 to 1855 .
The recipient had the choice of obtaining either the land set aside for that purpose or a warrant he could sell or transfer to another party . By 1862 , various offices within the Department of the Interior had processed more than 550,000 applications and granted more than 61 million acres of land to veterans or their heirs . At that time , Congress discontinued the policy of granting land to veterans . The Homestead Act passed in that year granted free land to any member of the general public who complied with certain conditions .
32 FINANCIAL HISTORY | Fall 2020 | www . MoAF . org