Although the Dakota Territory was organized in 1861, the population was quite small, and the majority of the population were Ame
rican Indians. The Homestead Act of 1862 drew homesteaders, and soon large cattle ranches were proving to Americans that farmers could be successful in the northern Great Plains. Transportation became easier between 1871 and 1889, when more than two thousand lines of railroad track were laid across the state. The effect on the population was dramatic. In 1860 the white population of North Dakota was 2,576. By 1889, that number had jumped to 191,000. Both North Dakota and South Dakota were able to apply for statehood. According to the passage, what were effects of the Homestead Act? Check all that apply. New states were added to the Union. The number of railroads declined. The population grew in the territories. The cattle-ranching industry grew. Transportation became more difficult in the territories.
New states were added, population grew in the territories, and cattle-ranching industry grew.
The Homestead Act provided a reward and reason for settlers to move West. With expanding population in the East, the West offered more space and cheap land. Many white immigrants moved West, willing to take the risk of settlement. This population increase caused more innovation in the West as well as an expansion of States in the Union.
