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One War, Two Accounts is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on comparing accounts of why the Mexican-American War began, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.His.10.3-5. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

One War, Two Accounts

D2.His.10.3-5

NameDate

Read both sources, then answer the questions. Compare what each one says.

1.Look at the source, then answer the questions.

How Mexico Saw the Border

An information text written for this worksheet. Texas broke away from Mexico in 1836, but Mexico never agreed that Texas was independent. When the United States annexed Texas in 1845, Mexico's government saw it as taking Mexican land. Mexico said that, even so, Texas ended at the Nueces River. The United States claimed Texas reached all the way south to the Rio Grande. In 1846 President Polk sent US soldiers into the land between the two rivers. Mexican soldiers attacked a US patrol there in April 1846. To many people in Mexico, the war began because American soldiers had marched onto Mexican soil.

  1. 1. Which river did Mexico say was the edge of Texas?
  2. 2. Why would Mexico see the attack on the US patrol differently from the United States?
  3. 3. What is the last sentence of the text for?
2.Look at the source, then answer the questions.

The Treaty That Ended the War

An information text written for this worksheet. The war ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848. Mexico accepted the Rio Grande as the border of Texas. Mexico gave up about half of its land, including California and the lands that became Nevada and Utah and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming. The United States paid Mexico $15 million. Tens of thousands of Mexican citizens lived in the lands that changed hands. The treaty promised them US citizenship and protection of their property, but many later lost their land. Some Americans, such as Abraham Lincoln, had opposed the war. Others celebrated the new land.

  1. 1. When was the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed?
  2. 2. Which river became the border of Texas?
  3. 3. Why might a treaty include promises about property?

LessonPrint · D2.His.10.3-5 · Set 19 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — One War, Two Accounts

Set 19. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The Nueces River. 2. Mexico believed the land between the rivers was Mexican soil, so the American soldiers had marched in. 3. To show the war from Mexico's side: American soldiers had marched onto Mexican soil.
  2. 2.1. On February 2, 1848. 2. The Rio Grande. 3. To protect the Mexican citizens who lived in the lands that changed hands.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.10.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.