Mapping the Expansion of the Continental United States
Create a key for the following items and color code the states accordingly to the event
them made them become a territory of the United States.
You do not need to label the state names, but you must write the event that brought the
territory into the United States over the state or states!
13 Original States 1776-1783 (American Revolution)
Georgia
South Carolina
North Carolina
Virginia
Maryland
Delaware
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
New York
Connecticut
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
New Hampshire
Territory of the 13 Original States ceded by Britain in the Treaty of Paris 1783
Maine
Vermont
West Virginia
Kentucky
Tennessee
Alabama
Mississippi
Ohio
Indiana
Michigan
Wisconsin
Illinois
Map Only Northern Minnesota above the Mississippi River
Flip over to the backside!
Louisiana Purchase 1803
Louisiana
Arkansas
Missouri
Iowa
Minnesota, everything west and south of the Mississippi River
Oklahoma
Kansas
Nebraska
South Dakota
North Dakota, Map only the territory below the Missouri River
Montana
Wyoming
Colorado (Not all Colorado was gained, but don’t worry about it)
Territory of British Cession 1818
Map only the Territory of North Dakota above the Missouri River! (Part of Northern
MN came from this treaty to, but don’t worry about it)
Territory of East Florida (Spanish Cession 1819)
Florida
Texas Annexation 1845
Texas (Parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Oklahoma came from this treaty to, but
don’t worry about it.)
Oregon Territory 1846 (Treaty with Great Britain)
Idaho
Oregon
Washington
Mexican Cession 1848 (Taken during the Mexican-American War)
Utah
California
Nevada
New Mexico
Map only the northern ¾ of Arizona above the Gila River
Gadsden Purchase 1853 (Purchased from Mexico)
Arizona below the Gila River
Make a simple sketch of Alaska and Hawaii in bottom left corner under the state of
California.
Alaska Purchase 1867 (From Russia)
Alaska
Hawaii Annexation 1898 (From the former Independent Republic of Hawaii)
Hawaii
Mapping the Major Native Tribes of the United States
Follow the directions; make sure to use a different color for each major Native American
tribe. Make sure to create a map key, if you cannot label the tribes on the map.
Color the following states the same color and label it as the homeland of the Iroquois.
Maine
Rhode Island
New Hampshire
Connecticut
Vermont
New York
Massachusetts
Pennsylvania
Color the following states the same color and label it as the homeland of the Delaware.
New Jersey
Delaware
Maryland
Color the following states the same color and label it as the homeland of the Powhatan.
Virginia
West Virginia
Color the following states the same color and label it as the homeland of the Cherokee and
Creek.
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
Tennessee
Kentucky
Alabama
Color the following state and label it as the homeland of the Seminoles.
Florida
Color the following states the same color and label it as the homeland of the Chickasaw.
Mississippi
Louisiana
Arkansas
Color the following states the same color and label it as the homeland of the Shawnee.
Ohio
Indiana
Color the following states the same color and label it as the homeland of the Illinois.
Missouri
Illinois
Color the following states the same color and label it as the homeland of the Chippewa.
Michigan
Wisconsin
Northern Minnesota
Color the following state and label it as the homeland of the Sauk.
Iowa
Color the following states the same color and label it as the homeland of the Sioux/ Dakota.
North Dakota
South Dakota
Eastern Montana
Southern Minnesota
Nebraska
Color the following state and label it as the homeland of the Crow.
Western Montana
Color the following states the same color and label it as the homeland of the Cheyenne.
Colorado
Wyoming
Color the following state and label it as the homeland of the Osage
Kansas
Color the following state and label it as the homeland of the Comanche
Texas
Color the following state and label it as the homeland of the Nez Perce
Idaho
Color the following states the same color and label it as the homeland of the Apache
New Mexico
Arizona
Color the following state the same color and label it as the homeland of the Navajo
Utah
Color the following state the same color and label it as the homeland of the Paiute.
Nevada
Color the following state the same color and label it as the homeland of the Chinook.
Washington
Color the following states the same color and label it as the homeland of the Pomo
California
Oregon
Label Oklahoma as Indian Territory. Draw different arrows from the following tribes to
Oklahoma.
Seminoles
Cherokee
Shawnee
Label the arrows to Oklahoma as the Trail of Tears
The Transcontinental Railroad and Cattle Trails Map Activity
Label the following major cities
New York City
Washington D.C
Pittsburg
Cleveland
Chicago
St. Paul/Minneapolis
St. Louis
Kansas City
Omaha
Wichita
Denver
Cheyenne
Santa Fe
Albuquerque
New Orleans
San Antonio
Abilene, TX
Fort Worth
El Paso
Houston
Tucson
Yuma
Reno
Salt Lake City
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Sacramento
Seattle
You are going to map the first Transcontinental Rail which was completed in 1869. By the
1860s most of the Eastern parts of the United States were connected by railroads but not the
Western United States.
Starting in New York City draw a simple railroad line to Pittsburg, and then to Cleveland.
Now follow the list of cities below until you reach San Francisco.
From Cleveland:
Chicago
St. Louis
Kansas City
Omaha
Cheyenne
Salt Lake City
Reno
Sacramento
San Francisco
Label this route the Transcontinental Railroad
You are now going to map the major cattle trails in the West.
Starting in San Antonio draw a line to Fort Worth, then to Kansas City. Label this cattle
trail the Sedalia and Baxtar Springs Trail
Starting from Fort Worth draw a line to Wichita. Label this cattle trail the Chisholm Trail
Starting from Abilene, Texas draw arrow north until you hit the Arkansas River in Kansas.
Put a dot there and label the dot Dodge City. Label the trail the Western Trail.
Lastly label the:
Rocky Mountains and Great Plains.