The correct answer is "it gave land to adult US citizens". Here is the context.
The Homestead Act, signed in May 1962 allowed settlement in the western part of the United States. People could claim for up to 160 acres of public land for farmers. About 1.6 million claims were approved.
The Act considered that any person could qualify for that piece of land paying a small amount of money or fee, committed to work that land and make a living there for a period of five years.
The Act is one of the most important legislation in that territory because thousands of Americans moved to the Great Plains to work the land.