Why People Moved West is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on the reasons people moved west, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Geo.7.3-5. 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.
Set 15 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
Why People Moved West
D2.Geo.7.3-5
NameDate
Draw a line from each event to how it drew people west.
1.Draw a line from each one to its match.
The Mormon trek, 1847
The Exodusters, 1879
The Oklahoma land run, 1889
Manifest Destiny, 1845
A.Brigham Young led Latter-day Saints to Utah to worship freely
B.Settlers raced to claim land in Indian Territory
C.The belief that the nation was meant to stretch across the continent
D.Black families left the South for Kansas to escape violence and own land
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
The Erie Canal, 1825
The transcontinental railroad, 1869
Gold at Sutter's Mill, 1848
Cattle drives after the Civil War
A.Made a trip across the country take about a week instead of months
B.Drew hundreds of thousands of gold seekers to California
C.Opened a water route from New York City to the Great Lakes
D.Cowboys drove herds north to railroad towns in Kansas
LessonPrint · D2.Geo.7.3-5 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Why People Moved West
Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. The Mormon trek, 1847 — A (Brigham Young led Latter-day Saints to Utah to worship freely) 2. The Exodusters, 1879 — D (Black families left the South for Kansas to escape violence and own land) 3. The Oklahoma land run, 1889 — B (Settlers raced to claim land in Indian Territory) 4. Manifest Destiny, 1845 — C (The belief that the nation was meant to stretch across the continent)
2.1. The Erie Canal, 1825 — C (Opened a water route from New York City to the Great Lakes) 2. The transcontinental railroad, 1869 — A (Made a trip across the country take about a week instead of months) 3. Gold at Sutter's Mill, 1848 — B (Drew hundreds of thousands of gold seekers to California) 4. Cattle drives after the Civil War — D (Cowboys drove herds north to railroad towns in Kansas)
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Geo.7.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.