From the Homestead Act to Heartland Visas – Rural Population Policies in the United States Over Time and Across Scale

From the Homestead Act to Heartland Visas – Rural population policies in the United States over time and across scale.

Peter B. Nelson Middlebury College Middlebury, Vermont, USA Overview Population Change per Decade 16.000.000 I. Era 1 – Populating a Young Nation (1790s – 14.000.000 1860s. 12.000.000 II. Era 2 – Continued Rural Settlement and 10.000.000 Advancing Rural Livelihoods (1860s – 1930s). 8.000.000 III. Era 3 – Reducing Rural Disadvantage (1930s 6.000.000

– Present). Population Change 4.000.000 IV. Era 4 – The Neoliberal Turn (1970s – 2.000.000 present) 0 V. Local level and private initiatives (present)

Urban Rural i. Era 1 - Populating a Young Nation (1790s-1860s)

Population Change per Decade 6.000.000 5.000.000 4.000.000 3.000.000 2.000.000

Population Change 1.000.000 0 1790s 1800s 1810s 1820s 1830s 1840s 1850s 1860s Urban Rural

1790 – Naturalization Act – any white male of ‘good moral character’ 1796 – Federal Lands Act – ‘orderly survey and sale of lands…’ ii. Era 2 – Continued Settlement and Advancing Rural Livelihoods (1860s – 1930s)

Population Change per Decade 16.000.000 14.000.000 12.000.000 10.000.000 8.000.000 6.000.000 4.000.000 Population Change 2.000.000 0 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s Urban Rural

1860s

Homestead Act of 1862 – over 4 million claims filed, granted 1.6 million deeds Morrill Act of 1862 – Established US Land Grant University System iii. Era 3 – Reducing Rural Disadvantage (1930s – present)

Population Change per Decade 40.000.000

30.000.000

20.000.000

10.000.000

0 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s -10.000.000 Urban Rural

Urban and Rural Population since 1930 300.000.000 250.000.000 200.000.000 150.000.000 100.000.000 50.000.000 0 1936 – Rural Electrification1920 1940 Act1960 1980 2000 2020 Urban Rural iii. Era 3 – Reducing Rural Disadvantage - continued

Federal Highway Act – 1956 Several rural broadband initiatives iv. Era 4 – Rural Policy in the Neoliberal Era: “If you build it, they will come.” (1970s – present)

Community Development Block Grants

Federal Government

States

Local Community

Abbotsford, WI 2250 2200 2150 2100 2050 2000 1950 Population 1900 1850 “strengthen communities, improve quality of life, and spur opportunity 1800 through job growth” 1750 2011 2015 2018 iv. Era 4 – Rural Policy in the Neoliberal Era: “If you build it, they will come.” (1970s – present)

Community Development Block Grants

Federal Government

States

Local Community

Lebanon, KS 400 350 300 250 200 150 Population 100 50 0 2011 2015 2018 iv. Era 4 – Rural Policy in the Neoliberal Era: “If you build it, they will come.” (1970s – present) v. Local Level and Private Initiatives

Free land give-away (Kansas)

(Lu and Paull 2007) v. Local Level and Private Initiatives Kansas Up to $15,000 in student loan Vermont forgiveness Up to $10,000 MT and ID over two years Loan forgiveness for teleworkers for Doctors and moving to the Nurses state

New York Loan forgiveness for rural Doctors and Nurses v. Local Level and Private Initiatives

Source: EIG Group Conclusions Population Change by Decade 1. US has a long history of policies 40.000.000 aimed at attracting residents to 35.000.000 rural areas. 2. Early policies focused on providing 30.000.000 land and making life in rural areas 25.000.000 more livable. 3. Policies can have unintended 20.000.000 (opposite) effects. 15.000.000 4. Last 40 years has brought more 10.000.000 neoliberal approaches and a Population Change devolution from federal to more 5.000.000 local level. 0 5. Ironically, most recently we see -5.000.000 programs once again giving land 1790s 1800s 1810s 1820s 1830s 1840s 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s away to would-be settlers and Urban Rural turning to immigrants as a source of potential rural residents.