Homesteading is a major them e in the settling of the American West. Write a factual essay that : (a) explains the major ideas/philosophies that led to homesteading laws and who originated them (b) lists how the U.S. was assembled - how was the land acquired and what did each acquisition cost? (c) lists and briefly discusses three major homesteading laws/bills that disposed of for mer Indian land and transferred them to settlers or resource developers ( d) explains two myths about climate that made people believe they could farm in the arid West .