U.S. History Collection
Homesteader Opportunities and Obstacles

Who Moved West?

Although most Homestead applicants were White, many diverse groups also took advantage of the new opportunity.

Many Black people, who were now considered citizens under the 14th Amendment, sought to flee the racial violence in the South that had begun to characterize Reconstruction and took advantage of the Homestead Act to move west. It is believed that over 3,500 Black homesteaders, also known as exodusters, obtained titles to a total of 650,000 acres of land, Some 15,000 Black people lived on these homesteads.

The Moses Speese family near Westerville, Custer County, Nebraska, 1887. Click to enlarge.

A black and white photo shows a Black family of eight posing side-by-side for the picture on a grassy area in front of their home. One man, three women, and two little boys seated on chairs, while two young men are standing behind them on each end. The home seems to be made of mud bricks. A windmill is behind the home, and two horses and a carriage are on the right. The surrounding landscape is flat and treeless.

The Homestead Act did not discriminate against single women, either. Although married women could not take title on the land unless they were considered the head of their household, single women 21 years and older could become landowners. While some single women came seeking economic opportunity, others came seeking adventure. Some historians estimate that as many as 12 percent of homesteaders were single women.

The Chrisman Sisters on a claim in Goheen settlement on Lieban (Lillian) Creek, Custer County, Nebraska, 1886. Click to enlarge.

A black and white photo shows four women in eighteen hundreds-style dresses standing side-by-side in tall grasses in front of a small shelter. The shelter appears to be made of mud or sod bricks. One horse stands on each side of the women. The land is slightly hilly and treeless.

The Homestead Act not only encouraged internal migration but also attracted immigration from abroad. European immigrants fled overpopulation, famine, and job scarcity; they were also attracted by advertisements from railroad companies and the government, which depicted the West as an untouched paradise.

European Emigration to the U.S. 1871–1880s. Click to enlarge.

A map of Europe entitled "European Emigration to the U.S., 1871 to the Eighteen Hundreds." England and Ireland are shaded blue to indicate that 600,000 people emigrated to the U.S. Germany is shaded pink to indicate that 1 million people emigrated to the U.S.

Frederic Schreyer and family, Custer County, Nebraska, 1880s. Click to enlarge.

A black and white photo shows a white family posing in front of a two-story home made of brick on the lower level and wood siding on the top level. An older man with a beard is standing on the left. A young mother holding a baby is standing in the middle, and on the right is the father, who is seated, and has a toddler leaning against his leg. Surrounding land is flat and treeless.

Ironically, Indigenous peoples who had lived on western lands for years were not awarded citizenship until 1924 and, as a result, were barred from obtaining land under the Homestead Act. As the population of non-Indigenous homesteaders skyrocketed, the population of Indigenous groups inhabiting those lands fell as the government issued land titles to their ancestral land and to land given to them under past treaties. Many Indigenous people were pushed farther west and onto smaller and more barren reservations.

Crow Indians and crowd at the point where the last spike was driven between Garrison and Gold Creek, Montana, 1883. Click to enlarge.

A black and white photo shows a large gathering of men. A group of seven Crow Indians is at the front of the image. They are facing a large group of white men in dark suits and hats in the background. One white man has approached the Indigenous men. Behind this scene is a steep hill and a few trees.

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