“You mean Railroad Land Grants?”
Those and the Homestead Act land grants.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_Act
Those homestead Grants did not arrive until 1862, and; these folks busted their fannies to clear the land, build homes, actually fought the elements, and; went to work for what they supposedly were given. They did not show a section 8 voucher, get a place to stay, plus have a voucher to pay for their heat and electric,etc. Hell, thay had no other GOV bennies either. What is the big deal with grants like those when you had to bust their fanny to make a home? Heck, the Hudson bay company was French owned and it was formed long before the Revolutionary War,and; both that company and John Jacob Astor’s fur company are the reason this nation had the beaver for hats from the Wyoming/Montana and Idaho area where men like Bridger and other fur trappers went to drink, shoot, party, and; to sell their furs to these companies. These are just some of the men that made this nation, and so many other men and women from the Revolution, the War of 1812, those at the Alamo, to every man and woman during WWII -we have always had Americans who are willing to stand up. Sadly, we have too many now who expect handouts.I was watching Lonesome Dove as I wrote. How could you watch those 4 parts and not wonder-”What the hell has happened to this nation?”