this territory which lay west of the Allegheny Mountains had been
claimed by seven of the thirteen states that formed the Union; but
soon after the war they ceded these western possessions to the
United States, having received a promise from Congress that these
lands, which were largely unoccupied at the time, should be
disposed of "FOR THE COMMON BENEFIT OF THE UNITED STATES." They
thus became PUBLIC LANDS; that is, they belonged to the people of
the nation as a whole. The common interest in these public lands
was one of the chief influences that kept the thirteen states
united under one government during the troubled times between the
close of the Revolution and the adoption of the Constitution in
1789. As time went on, the public lands of the nation were
increased by the acquisition of new territory, [Footnote:
Louisiana Territory was acquired in 1803, Oregon in 1805, Florida
in 1812 and 1819, Texas in 1845, California and New Mexico in
1846-48, the Gadsden Purchase in 1853, Alaska in 1867.] Of the
3,600,000 square miles comprising the United States and Alaska
more than three fourths has at some time been public land; but of
this there now remain, exclusive of Alaska, only about 360,000
square miles, much of which is forest and mineral land, unsuitable
for agriculture.

DISPOSAL OF THE PUBLIC LANDS

To turn this great domain with all its resources to the fullest
service of the nation has been one of the greatest problems with
which our government has had to deal. In the early part of our
history various plans were tried by which to secure the occupancy
and development of the agricultural lands by farmers, until in
1862 the first Homestead Act was passed by Congress.