Homestead Act
You are a young American living in the year 1865. You were granted a piece of land in Iowa thanks to the Homestead Act of 1862. You and your family have just spent several difficult, but rewarding, months traveling westward and settling on your new land. Now that you finally have time to rest for a short while, you would like to share some of your experiences while they are still fresh in your memory.
(from http://www.angelfire.com/sc3/kbuice/wqintro.htm) |
Begin by researching to learn more about the Homestead Act. Print out and answer the following questions that you will use as a guide to complete your project. There will be 2 parts to it.
#1. Think about some of the hardships you faced during the past few months. They can be from the long journey, getting started on your new land, building your home, keeping your family safe, etc. You are going to write your family back home a letter (you can handwrite this or type this in Word) and tell them about the first year you spent out West. Your letter must include 3 hardships you faced while settling on your new land. Let them know if things are working out or not. Should you encourage them to make the move too?
To get more ideas, read these selected actual letter and memoirs about hardships:
#1. Think about some of the hardships you faced during the past few months. They can be from the long journey, getting started on your new land, building your home, keeping your family safe, etc. You are going to write your family back home a letter (you can handwrite this or type this in Word) and tell them about the first year you spent out West. Your letter must include 3 hardships you faced while settling on your new land. Let them know if things are working out or not. Should you encourage them to make the move too?
To get more ideas, read these selected actual letter and memoirs about hardships:
#2. Think back to when you first arrived and settled in the territory of Iowa. There was so much to do. One of the first things you needed to get started on was building a home for your family. Find a picture of your family and your new home on the Internet to show us. Put together a PowerPoint presentation, BoardBuilder board or PhotoStory telling about your home. Include information about the following:
Websites to use: http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/homestead_act_land_rush.php http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=31 http://www.nps.gov/home/historyculture/abouthomesteadactlaw.htm http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/five/homestd.htm http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/res/Education_in_BLM/homestead_act.html http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-homestead-act http://amhistory.si.edu/ourstory/activities/sodhouse/more.html http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/ndfahtml/hult_sod.html http://www.pbs.org/wnet/frontierhouse/frontierlife/essay4_2.html Discovery Education Destiny WebPath Express NC WiseOwl Encyclopedias |