Critical. The federal government purchased and conquered land, dispossessed indigenous people through military force, provided financing and land grants for transcontinental railroads, and passed the homestead act. Land use policies that allowed individuals to graze animals on federal land and the creation of agencies like the bureau of reclamation that diverted water into the hands of private farmers and built hydroelectric power plants to provide electricity to Westerners were equally important. The federal government was an integral component of American growth