America250 — 250 years since 1776. Explore two and a half centuries of American history. Start the tour
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May 20

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Anniversaries in American history that fall on May 20.

1862 · Concepts / Social Issues
Homestead Act signed
160 acres free to settlers who farm it for five years; Plains settlement accelerates
Westward Expansion
1862 · Documents / Laws & Acts
Homestead Act
The 1862 law that gave 160 acres to settlers and reshaped the American interior
Homestead Act