Squatter is a person who lives on land without having a title or other legal authority and without paying rent. Sometimes a squatter can obtain the title to the land if no one else has a legal claim. During the 1800’s, many people moved onto lands in the western United States that had not been surveyed and were not yet for sale. The U.S. Congress passed the Pre-emption Act of 1841, which allowed squatters to gain title to the land they occupied. Today, there are squatter colonies in some developing countries.
See also Homestead Act; Kansas (The struggle over slavery); Popular sovereignty; Pre-emption; Squatter’s rights.
