How did the provisions of the Homestead Act contribute to the Euro-American development of western land inhabited by Indigenous peoples in the United States? It established a network of public schools and hospitals across the frontier to attract families to the West. It offered 160 acres to settlers willing to cultivate and improve it for a period of five years for a nominal filing fee. It designated vast areas of land as national parks and wildlife reserves to preserve the natural beauty and attract tourists and new residents. It provided large financial grants and subsidies to settlers

The correct answer is: **It offered 160 acres to settlers willing to cultivate and improve it for a period of five years for a nominal filing fee.**<br /><br />The Homestead Act of 1862 dramatically accelerated the westward expansion of Euro-Americans and significantly impacted Indigenous peoples. By offering free land (for a small filing fee) to anyone willing to live on and improve it, the Act incentivized large numbers of settlers to move west. This influx of settlers put immense pressure on the lands already inhabited by Indigenous peoples, leading to displacement, conflict, and further erosion of their traditional ways of life. The Act, while intending to promote individual land ownership and development, effectively facilitated the taking of Indigenous lands and contributed to their dispossession.<br />