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 22 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.
Manifest Destiny, 1845
Cattle drives after the Civil War
The Homestead Act, 1862
The Oklahoma land run, 1889
A.Settlers raced to claim land in Indian Territory
B.Offered 160 acres of public land to settlers who farmed it for five years
C.Cowboys drove herds north to railroad towns in Kansas
D.The belief that the nation was meant to stretch across the continent
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
The Exodusters, 1879
The transcontinental railroad, 1869
The Erie Canal, 1825
The Mormon trek, 1847
A.Opened a water route from New York City to the Great Lakes
B.Made a trip across the country take about a week instead of months
C.Black families left the South for Kansas to escape violence and own land
D.Brigham Young led Latter-day Saints to Utah to worship freely
LessonPrint · D2.Geo.7.3-5 · Set 22 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Why People Moved West
Set 22. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. Manifest Destiny, 1845 — D (The belief that the nation was meant to stretch across the continent) 2. Cattle drives after the Civil War — C (Cowboys drove herds north to railroad towns in Kansas) 3. The Homestead Act, 1862 — B (Offered 160 acres of public land to settlers who farmed it for five years) 4. The Oklahoma land run, 1889 — A (Settlers raced to claim land in Indian Territory)
2.1. The Exodusters, 1879 — C (Black families left the South for Kansas to escape violence and own land) 2. The transcontinental railroad, 1869 — B (Made a trip across the country take about a week instead of months) 3. The Erie Canal, 1825 — A (Opened a water route from New York City to the Great Lakes) 4. The Mormon trek, 1847 — D (Brigham Young led Latter-day Saints to Utah to worship freely)
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Geo.7.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.