The Growth of a Nation
From the first American flag with 13 stars to the flag we know today with 50, one star has been
added for each new state. On this map of the United States, each state is marked with the year it
joined the Union. Consult the map to answer the questions below.
CANADA
Washington
(1889)
Montana
(1889)
Oregon
(1859)
Idaho
(1890)
Wyoming
(1890)
Nevada
(1864)
North Dakota Minnesota
(1889)
(1858)
Wisconsin
(1848)
South Dakota
(1889)
Nebraska
(1867)
Iowa
(1846)
Utah
(1896)
New Hampshire
(1788)
Vermont
(1791)
New York
(1788)
Pennsylvania
(1787)
Ohio
Indiana (1803)
(1816)
West
Virginia
(1863) Virginia
(1788)
Kentucky
(1792)
North
Carolina
Tennessee
(1789)
(1796)
South
Carolina
(1788)
Alabama Georgia
(1788)
(1819)
Illinois
(1818)
Colorado
(1876)
California
(1850)
Arizona
(1912)
Michigan
(1837)
Kansas
(1861)
Oklahoma
(1907)
New Mexico
(1912)
Missouri
(1821)
Arkansas
(1836)
Texas
(1845)
MEXICO
Alaska
(1959)
Maine
(1820)
Massachusetts
(1788)
Rhode Island
(1790)
Connecticut
(1788)
New Jersey
(1787)
Delaware
(1787)
Maryland
(1788)
Louisiana
(1812)
1777
2001
Mississippi
(1817)
Florida
(1845)
Hawaii
(1959)
Alaska and Hawaii are not drawn to scale
or placed in their geographic position.
1. Which state joined the Union first, Texas or
California? __________________
2. In what year did Illinois join the Union?
__________________
3. How many years after Ohio became a state
did Oregon become a state? _____________
4. Did Alabama join the Union before or after
Arkansas? __________________
5. Since Alaska and Hawaii became states, we
have had 50 stars on our flag. In what year
did this happen? __________________
6. There were four new states in 1889. Find two.
_________________ _________________
7. A state that borders Kansas joined the Union
in 1876. Which state is it? ________________
8. In what year did Utah’s southern neighbor
become a state? __________________
9. Which became a state first, Tennessee or
Indiana? In what year?
______________________
________________
10. In what year did Missouri’s northern
neighbor become a state? ________________
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Copyright © 2001 by Scholastic Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use only.