Final answer:
The Homestead Act and Pacific Railway Act of 1862 promoted westward expansion by giving settlers land incentives and facilitating the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad. These laws aided in creating a free soil region in the West and connecting the country economically.
Step-by-step explanation:
The passing of the Homestead Act and the Pacific Railway Act in 1862 represented significant measures by the federal government to encourage the settlement and development of the western United States. The Homestead Act allowed settlers to claim 160 acres of federal land by living on it for five years and making improvements, which promoted westward expansion and increased agricultural output. Meanwhile, the Pacific Railway Act facilitated the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad, connecting the country by rail and providing economic incentives through land grants and resources to the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads.
These legislative actions helped to stimulate the national economy by providing free soil and access to new markets, contributing to the eventual transformation of the American West into a region of economic opportunity, despite the many hardships faced by homesteaders. The acts also played a role in the broader context of the Civil War and the struggle over slavery expansion,
with the hope of populating the West with people who supported the concept of free soil
.