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How the Nation Gained Its Land is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on how each territory became part of the United States, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Geo.5.3-5. It prints 6 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.

Set 13 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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

How the Nation Gained Its Land

D2.Geo.5.3-5

NameDate

Match each territory to how it was gained, then answer the questions.

1.Draw a line from each territory to how it was gained.
  • Florida, 1819
  • Texas, 1845
  • Alaska, 1867
  • Hawaii, 1898
  • A.Annexed after nine years as an independent republic
  • B.Bought from Russia
  • C.Given up by Spain in the Adams-Onis Treaty
  • D.Annexed after American businessmen overthrew its queen
2.Why did the United States want the Gadsden Purchase?
  • A.For a flat route for a southern railroad
  • B.For a port on the Atlantic
  • C.To build a new capital city
3.Many people at first called the purchase of Alaska a mistake. What was later found there?
  • A.Cotton plantations
  • B.Gold, and much later oil
  • C.Tobacco fields
4.Which Native peoples lived in Alaska when it was bought?
  • A.Many, including the Tlingit, Yupik and Inupiat
  • B.None, because it was empty
  • C.Only the Cherokee
5.France sold Louisiana in 1803. Did the Native nations living there agree to the sale?
  • A.No; they were not part of the deal
  • B.Yes; they were paid by France
  • C.Yes; they signed the treaty in Paris
6.The Louisiana Purchase roughly doubled the size of the country. Who was president?
  • A.Thomas Jefferson
  • B.George Washington
  • C.Abraham Lincoln

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.5.3-5 · Set 13 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — How the Nation Gained Its Land

Set 13. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Florida, 1819 — C (Given up by Spain in the Adams-Onis Treaty) 2. Texas, 1845 — A (Annexed after nine years as an independent republic) 3. Alaska, 1867 — B (Bought from Russia) 4. Hawaii, 1898 — D (Annexed after American businessmen overthrew its queen)
  2. 2.For a flat route for a southern railroad
  3. 3.Gold, and much later oil
  4. 4.Many, including the Tlingit, Yupik and Inupiat
  5. 5.No; they were not part of the deal
  6. 6.Thomas Jefferson

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Geo.5.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.