The Frontier Era

Little House on the Prairie, and all of Wilder's "Little House" books, takes place in the era of westward expansion in the United States. By promising free land to settlers, the U.S. government lured people west. The promise began with the Homestead Act of 1862, which granted land ownership to migrants who remained on the 160 acres of claimed land and worked it for a certain number of years. Many took the government up on the offer for various reasons. For example, some settlers saw it as a means of ending a cycle of poverty or a second chance at success. Others just wanted the land for free. Either way, holding onto one's claim and surviving often brutal conditions was difficult. People had to build their homes, lives, livelihoods, and communities from scratch. They also faced social isolation during the years the farms and communities were...