Signing of the Homestead Act

Date: May 20, 1862 • Location: Washington, United States

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law, opening eighty-four million acres (340,000 km2) of public land to settlers.

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States, from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War, defeating the Confederacy and playing a major role in the abolition of slavery.