The correct answers are A) new states were added to the union, C) population grew in the territories, and d) the cattle-ranching industry grew.
<em>According to the passage, the effects of the Homestead Act were: new states were added to the union, population grew in the territories, and the cattle-ranching industry grew.
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The passage clearly states that The Homestead Act of 1862 drew homesteaders and cattle ranchers proved that farmers could be successful in the Northern Great Plains, that transportation became easier since 1871 due to the railroad tracks, and that North and South Dakota applied for statehood.
The Homestead Act of May 20, 1862, allowed people and former slaves to settle in the Western part of the United States. They could claim up to 160 acres of federal land. The Act granted public land to small farmers.
