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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 18 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.
  • The Gadsden Purchase, 1853
  • Land to the Mississippi River, 1783
  • Texas, 1845
  • Alaska, 1867
  • A.Recognized by Britain in the treaty that ended the Revolution
  • B.Annexed after nine years as an independent republic
  • C.Bought from Mexico to make room for a southern railroad
  • D.Bought from Russia
2.The Louisiana Purchase roughly doubled the size of the country. Who was president?
  • A.Thomas Jefferson
  • B.Abraham Lincoln
  • C.George Washington
3.France sold Louisiana in 1803. Did the Native nations living there agree to the sale?
  • A.Yes; they signed the treaty in Paris
  • B.No; they were not part of the deal
  • C.Yes; they were paid by France
4.People of what nation lived in California, New Mexico and Arizona before 1848?
  • A.Russia only
  • B.Mexico, along with many Native nations
  • C.Britain and France
5.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
6.What did many Americans in the 1840s mean by Manifest Destiny?
  • A.A plan to give land back to Native nations
  • B.The belief that the nation was meant to spread to the Pacific
  • C.A law that banned moving west

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.5.3-5 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — How the Nation Gained Its Land

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The Gadsden Purchase, 1853 — C (Bought from Mexico to make room for a southern railroad) 2. Land to the Mississippi River, 1783 — A (Recognized by Britain in the treaty that ended the Revolution) 3. Texas, 1845 — B (Annexed after nine years as an independent republic) 4. Alaska, 1867 — D (Bought from Russia)
  2. 2.Thomas Jefferson
  3. 3.No; they were not part of the deal
  4. 4.Mexico, along with many Native nations
  5. 5.For a flat route for a southern railroad
  6. 6.The belief that the nation was meant to spread to the Pacific

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