Never having borne arms against the Unites States' government was a condition of the Homestead Act to prevent those who were unloyal or against the Union from gaining control in new territories.
Explanation:
This condition regarding never having taken up arms, which was attached to the Homestead Act, made it so former Confederate soldiers were unable to benefit from the Homestead Act after the Civil War. The Act was signed in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln and it was meant to encourage settlement in the Western United States. Beneficiaries had to reside on the property for 5 years before they were granted ownership.
I believe not because the US had no reason to engage in the war. They were a sleeping bear as I would say. They were then provoked on peral habor and were officially awoken.
