a law passed by the US Congress in 1862. It gave 160 acres/65 hectares of government land in the west to anyone who would agree to live on it for five years. A small payment was required. A person who received this land was called a homesteader .
HOMESTEAD ACT
Meaning of HOMESTEAD ACT in English
Oxford guide to British and American culture English vocabulary. Руководство по британской и американской культуре, Оксфордский английский словарь. 2005