244 ChapTer 10 | expansionism: part 2 | period Five 184 4 –1877is made, be subject to pre-emption at one dollar and twenty-five cents or less per
acre; or eighty acres or less of such unappropriated lands at two dollars and fifty
cents per acre, to be located in a body, in conformity to the legal subdivisions of
the public lands, and after the same shall have been surveyed: Provided, That any
person owning and residing on land may, under the provisions of this act, enter
other land lying contiguous to his or her said land, which shall not, with the land so
already owned and occupied, exceed in the aggregate one hundred and sixty acres.Circular from the General Land Office Showing the Manner of Proceeding to Obtain Title to
Public Lands (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1870), 16.praCTICIng historical Thinking
Identify: Paraphrase the opportunities that were provided by the Homestead Act.
Analyze: In what ways would the North gain an advantage in encouraging migra-
tion west of the Mississippi?
Evaluate: As the labor force for both the North and the South was depleted by the
war, who stood to gain and lose more by the Homestead Act? Explain.Document 10.6 report from the Spotted Tail indian agency
1877By the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Native Americans had endured nearly a
century of forced removal westward. By the end of the century, American policy makers
increasingly sought ways to “civilize” native peoples by undermining traditional settlement
and economic patterns and inculcating them with white American values. This excerpt is
from the Secretary of the Interior’s report to the president regarding Indian education.The establishment of schools for the instruction of the young is gradually
being extended among the Indian tribes under our control. The advantage to
be derived from them will greatly depend upon their discipline and the course
of instruction. As far as practicable, the attendance of Indian children should
be made compulsory. Provision should be made for boarding children at the
schools, to bring them more exclusively under the control of educational influ-
ences. One of the most important points is that they should be taught to speak
and read the English language. Efforts have been made to establish and teach
the grammar of Indian dialects and to use books printed in those dialects as a
means of instruction. This is certainly a very interesting and meritorious phil-
ological work, but as far as the education of Indian children is concerned, the
teaching of the English language must be considered infinitely more useful. If
Indian children are to be civilized, they must learn the language of civilization.TopIC I | Conquest West 24511_STA_2012_ch10_235-250.indd 244 23/03/15 5:32 PM