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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 7 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.
  • Alaska, 1867
  • Land to the Mississippi River, 1783
  • The Mexican Cession, 1848
  • Florida, 1819
  • A.Recognized by Britain in the treaty that ended the Revolution
  • B.Bought from Russia
  • C.Taken from Mexico in the treaty that ended the Mexican-American War
  • D.Given up by Spain in the Adams-Onis Treaty
2.People of what nation lived in California, New Mexico and Arizona before 1848?
  • A.Britain and France
  • B.Russia only
  • C.Mexico, along with many Native nations
3.Which Native peoples lived in Alaska when it was bought?
  • A.None, because it was empty
  • B.Only the Cherokee
  • C.Many, including the Tlingit, Yupik and Inupiat
4.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
5.What did the overthrow of Hawaii's queen in 1893 take from Native Hawaiians?
  • A.Their own independent government
  • B.A war debt to France
  • C.A seat in the British Parliament
6.Many people at first called the purchase of Alaska a mistake. What was later found there?
  • A.Tobacco fields
  • B.Cotton plantations
  • C.Gold, and much later oil

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.5.3-5 · Set 7 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — How the Nation Gained Its Land

Set 7. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Alaska, 1867 — B (Bought from Russia) 2. Land to the Mississippi River, 1783 — A (Recognized by Britain in the treaty that ended the Revolution) 3. The Mexican Cession, 1848 — C (Taken from Mexico in the treaty that ended the Mexican-American War) 4. Florida, 1819 — D (Given up by Spain in the Adams-Onis Treaty)
  2. 2.Mexico, along with many Native nations
  3. 3.Many, including the Tlingit, Yupik and Inupiat
  4. 4.The belief that the nation was meant to spread to the Pacific
  5. 5.Their own independent government
  6. 6.Gold, and much later oil

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