In 1862, Congress passed four landmark pieces of legislation: the Homestead Act, the Morrill Act, the Pacific Railroad Act, and the act to establish the U.S. Department of Agriculture; it was also the year of the fateful Dakota Conflict. These acts and events fundamentally shaped the Great Plains as well as the nation.

The 2012 Symposium at the University of Nebraska will examine their consequences for the society, culture, and commerce of the Great Plains.

Presented by the Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Homestead National Monument of America, National Park Service