SCATTER 1492-2014
SCATTER 1492-2014
Concept & Design by Neely Sutter Pictures from Google & Tumblr Type set in Didot by Otl Aicher & Rotis Sans Serif Std. by Firmin Didot Printed in London University of the Arts-London Central Saint Martins, 2014
1492
1607
1803
1845
1853
1862
1890
1930
2007
The Homestead Act Signed into law in 1862 by Abraham Lincoln. The act started in the state of Nebraska and divided up western land that had been acquired by the US government over the past 100 years. 160 acre blocks of land were given for free to anyone that was willing to live on the land and “improve� or farm it. The land was assumed empty, when in reality native tribes had lived off this area and resources for hundreds of years. The Native population did not treat the land as if they owned it. No fences, no paper documents, and no civilized proof. Maps were made to section off the land and categorize what had been taken and what was still available. The land continued to be divided as more and more settlers moved westward onto homesteads. There was continued conflict with native people as their lands grew smaller and smaller. While, the American dream that had been placed in homesteaders mind was proving to not be reality. Droughts and famines were common and many homesteads failed, leaving the land abandoned. The Homestead Act spread to 34 states and remained in law until 1976. There are still functioning homesteads today, and the creation of the act promoted the division of most of the land in the western and midwestern states.
2013