What do the Homestead Act and the Women's Suffrage Movement have in common? More than you think! Women Who Paved the Way explores how the two events were intertwined and examines the women who broke down barriers and paved the way for modern women. The Homestead Act of 1862 was gender-blind allowing women to claim 160 acres of land just like men could. As women homesteaders were helping to homestead the west, suffragists fought to secure the right to vote for women across the United States. The Homestead Era and Women's Suffrage movement were intertwined and left a tremendous impact on history. In this lesson, participants and a park ranger from the Homestead National Historical Park will explore how women homesteaders and suffragists broke down gender barriers and paved the way for modern women.

Presented by the Homestead National Historical Park (Nebraska) - The Homestead Act of 1862 transformed the world. Millions were invited to file claims including families, immigrants, single women, and freed slaves. Over 10 percent of the United States was homesteaded! The land, long inhabited by American Indian cultures, changed forever. Homesteaders created settlements and farms, drove industrial advancement, and built our nation chasing the American Dream.