Question

benchmark 1 study guide unit 1: westward expansion 1. westward migration a. define manifest destiny: b. define homestead act: c. exodusters were ____ leaving the __ and moving to ____ for new farmland d. what issue are a lot of farmers facing due to expensive farm equipment?

Explanation:

a. Manifest Destiny was a 19th-century American ideological belief that the U.S. was divinely ordained to expand across the North American continent, justifying territorial acquisition and settlement.
b. The Homestead Act (1862) was a U.S. law that provided eligible citizens (and intended citizens) with 160 acres of public land in the West, in exchange for paying a small fee and improving the land (building a dwelling and farming it) over 5 years.
c. Exodusters were African American settlers leaving the Southern U.S. (post-Civil War, to escape racial violence and oppression) and moving to the Great Plains (especially Kansas) for new farmland.
d. Many farmers faced heavy debt, as they had to take out loans to afford costly farm equipment, supplies, and land, often struggling to repay due to fluctuating crop prices and high interest rates.

Answer:

a. A 19th-century U.S. ideology that the nation was divinely destined to expand across North America, justifying westward territorial growth and settlement.
b. An 1862 U.S. law granting 160 acres of western public land to eligible people, who only needed to pay a small fee and improve the land (build a home, farm it) over 5 years to gain full ownership.
c. African American settlers; the Southern U.S.; the Great Plains (Kansas)
d. Heavy debt (or inability to afford/repay costs of equipment, leading to debt)