How did speculators take advantage of the homestead act?
a. by catering to new markets
b. by living on public land
c. by creating phony claims
d. by preparing the land for planting

I believe the answer is: C. by creating phony claims

The homestead act was initially made in order to provide opportunities for new settlers to come and obtain a certain amount of land for cheaper prices. One of the phony claims that made is when companies send a lot of their employees to act as 'new settlers' and acquire large number of land that collectively controlled by the company.

Answering the question, speculators take advantage of the Homestead Act by creating phony claims. This implies the correct answer is C.

The Homestead Act was designed in a way that allowed speculators to take advantage of it, also the modification of the act by the Congress created more loopholes and the majority of the land went to railroads, miners, cattlemen, and speculators

The Homestead Act was primarily put in place to support new settlers by providing land for them at a lower cost but some companies asked their workers to disguise as new settlers and acquired many of the lands for themselves.

The Homestead Act was signed into law by President Lincoln in 1862. This act provided Americans and its intended citizen’s 160-acre plots of land for a low filing fee

The Homestead Act was regarded as one of the major laws to be enacted to cushion the effect of the civil war. The act helped new settlers, including farmers, ex-slaves, and immigrant to have the land of their own.

The passage of the Homestead Act also expanded the west and many citizens became landowners.

However, the Homestead Act was repealed in 1976 after the passage of the federal land policy and management Act which stated that the federal government should retain the ownership of public lands.

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