The purpose of the homestead act of 1862 was to a.encourage people to populate u.s. territories west of the mississippi river. b.provide people with economic incentives to settle in the territory of florida. c.provide free blacks with "40 acres and a mule" in former confederate states. d.offer former confederate officers a place to live in return for their loyalty to the u.s. answer

The correct answer is A. The purpose of the Homestead Act of 1862 was to  encourage people to populate US. territories west of the Mississippi River.

Explanation:

The Homestead Act was a law signed by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862. The law meant that people could get a piece of land in today's North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. This piece of land, with a limit of 65 hectares, could be obtained for a very low price, or sometimes even for free. The buyer had to promise to continue living there for at least 5 years, to maintain the land, to develop it and to build a house with a certain minimum size.

The Homestead Act played an important role in the conquest of the West and the continual shifting of the western border. The law encouraged millions of Europeans to emigrate to the United States.