Home·stead Act (h m st d )n. An act passed by Congress in 1862 promising ownership of a 160-acre tract of public land to a citizen or head of a family who had resided on and cultivated the land for five years after the initial claim. |
Homestead Act
n
1. (Law) an act passed by the US Congress in 1862 making available to settlers 160-acre tracts of public land for cultivation
2. (Law) (in Canada) a similar act passed by the Canadian Parliament in 1872
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