What did the homestead act ahve to do with slavery?

Answer 1

The Homestead Act of 1862 aimed to encourage westward expansion by providing settlers with land at little to no cost, but its implications intersected with the issue of slavery. While the Act itself did not explicitly address slavery, it contributed to the growing tensions between free and slave states, particularly in territories where settlers sought to establish their own laws regarding slavery. The influx of settlers into these territories intensified debates over whether they would permit slavery, ultimately contributing to conflicts like "Bleeding Kansas" and the larger national divide leading up to the Civil War.