During the civil war and in the years following people started immigrating to the west for various reasons. Most of the people were immigrating west to better themselves and to improve their way of living. The Homestead Act of 1862, increased the number of people immigrating west since it allowed any citizen to own a section of the land and settle it as long as they didn’t fight back against the government. They also moved west to work in mines in the hope of becoming rich this was called the era of “Gold Rush”. The Gold Rush era helped California become a state in 1850. The railroad also helped people move west since it could transport goods easier and allow settlers to survive by trading farm products for consumer goods.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/homestead-act/
In my opinion the Homestead Act was a beneficial factor for many Americans at the time because it motivated people to move west with the hope of owning a section of the land. It also helped the economy of the nation to grow. The railroad allowed the number of slave owners to decrease because there were more free farmers. I personally would’ve also moved west in this time of history in hopes of becoming rich and owning my own piece of land. What about you?