Confederates, to ensure that the support for the confederates were reduced.
Explanation:
The Homestead Act was created in 1862 to provide both Adult citizens or intended adult citizens who never rise to fight against the government with 160 acres of land.
Since the confederates forces rose against the government during the civil war in 1861, they're excluded from this act.
This made a lot of southern people lost support for the confederates and choose to sided with the union in order to obtain some pieces of those lands.
