1862 Homestead law in the USA

155 years ago, on May 20, 1862, at the initiative of US President Abraham Lincoln, the Homestead Act was passed. Every U.S. citizen over the age of 21 who did not fight on the side of the South against the North could receive from public fund lands in the west of the country a piece of land (homestead) of no more than 160 acres (65 hectares) after paying a registration fee of 10 dollars. In total, about 2 million homesteads were distributed. The Homestead Act contributed to the Northern victory in the Civil War.