What legislation facilitated access to cheap western land during the Jacksonian Era?

The Preemption Act of 1830 played a crucial role in facilitating access to inexpensive western land during the Jacksonian Era. This piece of legislation allowed squatters—those who settled on unoccupied lands without legal title—to purchase that land at a minimal price before it was officially offered for sale. The intent was to encourage westward expansion by making land more accessible to ordinary citizens, thus promoting the ideal of small landownership that was central to American democracy during this period.

While the Homestead Act, which came later in 1862, significantly contributed to land distribution by providing land grants to individuals willing to farm it, that legislation falls outside the Jacksonian Era. The Farmers' Act is not a recognized legislative act associated with land access, and the Land Ordinance of 1785 pertains to a much earlier period, establishing a framework for surveying and selling land in the Northwest Territory, rather than addressing the specific concerns of the Jacksonian Era. Therefore, the Preemption Act of 1830 is the correct choice as it directly supported the movement towards cheap land access in the context of the prevailing westward expansion ethos of the time.