Homestead Laws

In the U. S., laws to give lands still unsold to those who intend to become settlers, free of cost, except for small office fees. The first homestead act became a law 1862, and many million acres have been taken up under it. The influence of these laws has been very great on immigration and on migration from the East, as well as on Western society. Other laws, varying greatly in different States, are intended to restrict the alienation of a family's home and secure it against the claims of the owner's creditors. “Home, Sweet Home.” The words of this admired song were written by John Howard Payne for the opera Clari ; or, The Maid of Milan , which HENRY R. BISHOP (q.v.) set to music 1823. Bishop published the melody as a "Sicilian air," but afterward claimed that it was original with him. Donizetti introduced the melody into his opera Anna Bolena .