Final answer:
The Land Act of 1800 reduced parcel sizes and allowed payments on credit, making land ownership more accessible to individual settlers and demonstrating the resilient and entrepreneurial spirit of Americans.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Land Act of 1800 made land ownership more affordable for settlers in the west by introducing several significant changes. It lowered the minimum size of land parcels from 640 acres to 320 acres, making it easier for individual settlers, rather than just large investors or speculators, to buy land. Furthermore, it introduced the option to purchase land on credit, allowing settlers to make payments over four years with low interest rates. This was crucial in stimulating settlement by ordinary farmers, providing them with the opportunity to own land that was within their financial reach.
Sales were organized through land offices established in the West, enabling settlers to buy land directly from the government at a set price. This system created a landscape of checkerboard squares due to the orderly surveying and division of land. These measures not only made land more accessible but also helped in fostering entrepreneurship and the resilient spirit of the American people.