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Holiday Proclamations is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on the audience and purpose of a holiday proclamation, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.His.11.3-5. It prints 5 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.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Holiday Proclamations

D2.His.11.3-5

NameDate

Read the source and answer the questions, then circle the right answers.

1.Look at the source, then answer the questions.

A Proclamation of Thanksgiving

An extract from a proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln, October 3, 1863, issued during the Civil War. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

  1. 1. Who issued the proclamation, and when?
  2. 2. Which day does the proclamation name?
  3. 3. Why might Lincoln speak to citizens "in every part of the United States" during the Civil War?
  4. 4. Why does he include those "at sea" and those "sojourning in foreign lands"?
2.Which branch makes a day a federal holiday by passing a law?
  • A.Congress, the legislative branch
  • B.The Supreme Court
  • C.Each city government
3.Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation of 1863 came in the middle of which war?
  • A.The Civil War
  • B.The Revolutionary War
  • C.The War of 1812
4.General Order No. 3 advised freed people to stay at their present homes. What did many do instead?
  • A.Asked Granger to cancel the order
  • B.Sailed to Britain to live
  • C.Left to search for family members sold away during slavery
5.Decoration Day later became which holiday?
  • A.Memorial Day
  • B.Veterans Day
  • C.Labor Day

LessonPrint · D2.His.11.3-5 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Holiday Proclamations

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. President Abraham Lincoln, on October 3, 1863. 2. The last Thursday of November. 3. To bring citizens of the divided United States together in one day of Thanksgiving. 4. So that every citizen, even those far from home, could join in.
  2. 2.Congress, the legislative branch
  3. 3.The Civil War
  4. 4.Left to search for family members sold away during slavery
  5. 5.Memorial Day

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.11.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.