Which law granted land to settlers in the West?

The Homestead Act is the correct answer because it was specifically designed to encourage westward expansion in the United States by granting land to settlers. Enacted in 1862, the act allowed any adult citizen who had never borne arms against the U.S. government to claim 160 acres of public land, provided they improved it by building a dwelling and cultivating crops over a five-year period. This law played a significant role in the settlement of the American West by making land accessible to ordinary citizens, promoting agriculture, and ultimately contributing to the development of new territories.

In contrast, the Morrill Act focuses on establishing land-grant colleges and universities, which aimed at improving education in agriculture and the mechanical arts. The Pacific Railway Act facilitated the construction of the transcontinental railroad to enhance transportation and trade, but it did not directly grant land to individual settlers. The Land Ordinance of 1785 established a system for surveying and selling land in the Northwest Territory but did not address granting land freely to settlers in the same way the Homestead Act did.