Ever hear the expression, “When the cat’s away, the mice will play?” Before the Civil War, the U.S. Congress was divided between the Republicans, whose power was solely in the North, and the Democrats, whose power was concentrated in the South with some Northern support. Once the South seceded, it left the Republicans with full control of the U.S. Congress. Since there also was a Republican,, in the White House, the party could pass almost any law it wanted.
While the U.S. government had to spend most of its time focusing on winning the Civil War, the Republican government also passed a series of laws in 1862 that shaped the future westward expansion of the country. The Homestead Act, the Morrill Act, and the Pacific Railroad Act were landmark pieces of legislation that helped bring people to the West and shaped the geographic and economic future of the United States.
This resource will examine these laws and a few of their implications on the changing pattern of settlement in the United States.