Skip to content
LessonPrint

National Holidays: Then and Now is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on how national holidays began and how they are kept today, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.His.2.3-5. It prints 8 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 10 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

Next set

One paper per student

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

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

National Holidays: Then and Now

D2.His.2.3-5

NameDate

Circle the right answer.

1.In what year was Martin Luther King Jr. Day first observed as a federal holiday?
  • A.1863
  • B.1986
  • C.1776
2.Why was Armistice Day renamed Veterans Day in 1954?
  • A.To honor veterans of all wars, not only World War I
  • B.Because World War I was forgotten
  • C.To move it to the spring
3.Why was Labor Day created?
  • A.To honor workers, after years of campaigning by labor unions
  • B.To celebrate the end of a war
  • C.To mark the first day of school
4.Why do many places observe Indigenous Peoples' Day?
  • A.To mark the start of winter
  • B.To celebrate a European king
  • C.To honor Native peoples, who lived in the Americas long before 1492
5.What does Juneteenth mark?
  • A.The end of World War II
  • B.June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were told they were free
  • C.The signing of the Declaration of Independence
6.What was Memorial Day first called?
  • A.Decoration Day
  • B.Flag Day
  • C.Armistice Day
7.Who made Thanksgiving a yearly national day of thanks in 1863?
  • A.George Washington
  • B.President Abraham Lincoln
  • C.The Pilgrims
8.How is Memorial Day often observed today?
  • A.By exchanging gifts
  • B.By wearing costumes
  • C.With visits to cemeteries, parades and a moment of remembrance

LessonPrint · D2.His.2.3-5 · Set 10 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — National Holidays: Then and Now

Set 10. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1986
  2. 2.To honor veterans of all wars, not only World War I
  3. 3.To honor workers, after years of campaigning by labor unions
  4. 4.To honor Native peoples, who lived in the Americas long before 1492
  5. 5.June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were told they were free
  6. 6.Decoration Day
  7. 7.President Abraham Lincoln
  8. 8.With visits to cemeteries, parades and a moment of remembrance

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.2.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.