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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. Which day does the proclamation name?
  2. 2. Why might Lincoln speak to citizens "in every part of the United States" during the Civil War?
  3. 3. What does Lincoln invite his fellow citizens to do?
  4. 4. Who is the intended audience of the proclamation?
2.Which branch makes a day a federal holiday by passing a law?
  • A.Each city government
  • B.Congress, the legislative branch
  • C.The Supreme Court
3.Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation of 1863 came in the middle of which war?
  • A.The War of 1812
  • B.The Civil War
  • C.The Revolutionary War
4.What is a proclamation?
  • A.An official public announcement by a leader
  • B.A private diary entry
  • C.A newspaper advertisement
5.General Order No. 3 advised freed people to stay at their present homes. What did many do instead?
  • A.Sailed to Britain to live
  • B.Asked Granger to cancel the order
  • C.Left to search for family members sold away during slavery

LessonPrint · D2.His.11.3-5 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Holiday Proclamations

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The last Thursday of November. 2. To bring citizens of the divided United States together in one day of Thanksgiving. 3. To set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise. 4. Fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and those at sea or sojourning in foreign lands.
  2. 2.Congress, the legislative branch
  3. 3.The Civil War
  4. 4.An official public announcement by a leader
  5. 5.Left to search for family members sold away during slavery

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