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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 23 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
  • The Mexican Cession, 1848
  • The Oregon Country, 1846
  • Alaska, 1867
  • A.Bought from Mexico to make room for a southern railroad
  • B.Taken from Mexico in the treaty that ended the Mexican-American War
  • C.Bought from Russia
  • D.Divided with Britain by a treaty along the 49th parallel
2.Why did the United States want the Gadsden Purchase?
  • A.To build a new capital city
  • B.For a flat route for a southern railroad
  • C.For a port on the Atlantic
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.Mexico, along with many Native nations
  • B.Russia only
  • C.Britain and France
5.What did many Americans in the 1840s mean by Manifest Destiny?
  • A.A law that banned moving west
  • B.A plan to give land back to Native nations
  • C.The belief that the nation was meant to spread to the Pacific
6.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

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.5.3-5 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — How the Nation Gained Its Land

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The Gadsden Purchase, 1853 — A (Bought from Mexico to make room for a southern railroad) 2. The Mexican Cession, 1848 — B (Taken from Mexico in the treaty that ended the Mexican-American War) 3. The Oregon Country, 1846 — D (Divided with Britain by a treaty along the 49th parallel) 4. Alaska, 1867 — C (Bought from Russia)
  2. 2.For a flat route for a southern railroad
  3. 3.No; they were not part of the deal
  4. 4.Mexico, along with many Native nations
  5. 5.The belief that the nation was meant to spread to the Pacific
  6. 6.Many, including the Tlingit, Yupik and Inupiat

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