How did the settling patterns in rural American Midwest during the Homestead Act era differ from those in early European feudal societies regarding density and land use? Rural America focused primarily on raising livestock while European feudal societies were agrarian-based economies. The introduction of railways led to denser settlements in American Midwest compared to dispersed feudal societies in Europe. Rural America did not develop any significant infrastructure until after World War II, whereas Europe had extensive roads by Medieval times. Settling was more spread out across available lands under Homestead Act than the clustered manor-centric populations during European feudalism.
