Wright, Augustus R. "Distribution of Public Lands"
High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02691.11.004 Author/Creator: Wright, Augustus R. Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Printed document Date: 2 February 1859 Pagination: 8 p. ; 24.7 x 15.9 cm. Order a Copy
Speech given by Rep. Augustus Wright in the House of Representatives on the 'distribution of the public lands.' According to the speech, the government held about a billion acres of land at the time. Wright believed that the best candidates for the acquisition of the land were individual farmers who would settle and work the land themselves, rather than corporations or prospectors.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.