donation land

noun

1. land given free or sold on liberal terms by a state or the federal government, especially to encourage settlement in undeveloped areas.

Word History and Origins

Origin of donation land¹

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85

Example Sentences

Donation Land Act gives away Indian lands to settlers.

From Seattle Times

Following the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, newcomers — at first mostly white men — flowed into the valley, establishing farms and residences.

From Seattle Times

The young Smithers was lured from Virginia to the Northwest by the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850.

From Seattle Times

Oregon was anti-slavery largely to protect white settlers in Oregon – granted free land under the federal Donation Land Act of 1850 – who “didn’t want to have to compete with the institution of slavery,” Millner said.

From Seattle Times

The paths explored land that non-Native settlers had taken from Indigenous peoples through treaties and government edicts like the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 and an 1865 Seattle board of trustees ordinance expelling Native Americans.

From Seattle Times