Homestead National Historical Park

a CILC Content Provider

The Homestead Act of 1862 transformed the world. Millions were invited to file claims including, families, immigrants, single women, and freed slaves. Over 10 percent of the United States was homesteaded! The land, long inhabited by American Indian cultures, changed forever. Homesteaders created settlements and farms, drove industrial advancement, and built our nation chasing the American Dream.

2022-2023

Honorable Mention

2021-2022

2019-2020

2015-2016

2012-2013

Honorable Mention

Programs by Homestead National Historical Park

FREE - A Day in the Life of a Homesteader

"Free land!" was the cry, but that doesn't mean it was easy! A Day in the Life of a Homesteader lets students compare and contrast their lives with that of a Homesteader and determine if they think they would want to file a claim.

FREE - A School Day in 1872

The Homestead Act of 1862 defines the American Dream. With that American Dream came parents' dreams of education for their children. One-room schoolhouses popped up across the country. Explore what a school day was like during the Homestead Era!

FREE - Black Homesteaders in Nebraska: Audacious Dreams

The Homestead Act of 1862 provided African Americans with the prospect of farm ownership. In Nebraska, Black homesteaders built successful farms from eastern tallgrass prairies to the arid Sandhills in the west and the intentional community of...

FREE - Black Homesteaders on the Great Plains: Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

The call of free land offered Black Americans the possibilities of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness on the Great Plains. Come learn about the struggles that Black homesteaders met in building and sustaining households and communities...

FREE - Follow the Buffalo

Follow the Buffalo examines how American Indians utilized the American bison for survival and the impacts the Homestead Act of 1862 had on their way of life.

FREE - Homestead Act of 1862 (6th-12th grades)

The Homestead Act changed the complexion of the United States and the world forever. The offer of free land encouraged millions from all across the globe to collect in the United States. The Homestead Act defines the American Dream! Under this...

FREE - Homestead Act of 1862 (K-5th grades)

FREE!! - Homesteading, Women’s Suffrage, and The Wizard of Oz

Learn about the women’s suffrage and homesteading roots of the well known The Wonderful Wizard of Oz which was later adapted to the famous movie. This program uses brief vocal music elements to demonstrate the many interpretations of this American...

Type of Organization

Government Agency

Contact

Education Program Specialist home_education@nps.gov
8523 West State Hwy 4
Beatrice NE 68310
402-223-3514
United States

http://www.nps.gov/home

Primary Disciplines

The programs of Homestead National Historical Park cover:

Foreign/World Languages
Health/Physical Education
International
Language Arts/English
Literacy
Mathematics
Problem Solving
Reading
Sciences
Social Studies/History
Technology/Information Science
Writing
esl English as a Second Language (Spanish)