Answer
A section, is one Square Mile. A Square mile is 640 ac...
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We can thank Thomas Jefferson for the use of 640 acres becoming a section of land in America. Jefferson had an extreme dislike for cities. He told James Madison: "I think our governments will remain virtuous for many centuries as long as they are chiefly agricultural; and this will be as long as there shall be vacant lands in any part of America. When they get plied upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, they will become corrupt as in Europe."
Before the Constitution, Jefferson pushed his anti-urban policy in the Land Ordinance of 1785. This is the classic land policy that divided land in what is now the Midwest into six square mile townships, divided into 640 acre sections. Jefferson and his friends imagined that each section would become used for farming, except for one section that would be reserved for public education.
Further study leads to the formation of the Homestead Act of 1857. Wherein the section was divided further to create "homesteads" of 160 acres per family. In today's world this may seem rather large. The intent was for the family to live on on 40 acres parcel and rotate their crops yearly on the other three.
I realize my answer is lengthy although hopefully complete.
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When then western lands of the colonies were divided into 6-mile squares called townships. Then each township was divided into 36 sections of 640 acres each. Then each section could be sold to settlers.
The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed US Citizens to file for free ownership of up to one section (640 acres) of land from the US Government under certain conditions.
Battle of Deres happened in -640.
524,800,000 acres was the total land mass purchased.There are 640 acres in a square mile...$0.03 cents per acre OR $18.29 per square mile.
Lands were portioned off into townships containing 36 sections of 640 acres (one square mile per section). One side was for a school, and four were for veterans. the rest was given to the public. These were further subdivided into 16 units.