How did the federal government use land grants in the West in the 1860s?

A: The government gave them to railroad companies for development.
B: The government relocated American Indians onto reservations.
C: The government withheld land grants until the Civil War was over.
D: The government gave land to African Americans after the Civil War.

Question

How did the federal government use land grants in the West in the 1860s? 

A: The government gave them to railroad companies for development.
B: The government relocated American Indians onto reservations.
C: The government withheld land grants until the Civil War was over.
D: The government gave land to African Americans after the Civil War.

anonymous · Answer

Maybe C.....

wwhitlock · Answer

When you see 1860 think Civil War. For this question though, you have to do a little more thinking. Any money the government had was going into the war effort. They didn't have money to give the the railroads for support but they did have land. They worked out a checkerboard system. The railroad got one acre on one side of track they laid on one side and the government kept the other side. Then they flipped. The next acre that RR got was on the other side of the track. This kept going for the entire length of the trans Continental line. The country needed, the government couldn't afford to built it. So they gave away land.