How did the homestead act impact the great plains

Signed into law in May 1862, theHomestead Act opened up settlement in the western United States, allowing any American, including freed slaves, to put in a claim for up to 160 free acres of federal land. By the end of the Civil War, 15,000 homesteadclaims had been established, and more followed in the postwar years.

The common sense pamphlet i think