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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 18 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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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 did Labor Day become a federal holiday?
  • A.1776
  • B.1894
  • C.2021
2.What does Columbus Day, the federal holiday, mark?
  • A.The first Thanksgiving
  • B.Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492
  • C.The founding of Jamestown
3.Who made Thanksgiving a yearly national day of thanks in 1863?
  • A.President Abraham Lincoln
  • B.The Pilgrims
  • C.George Washington
4.Veterans Day was first called Armistice Day. What did it mark?
  • A.The end of fighting in World War I on November 11, 1918
  • B.The end of the Civil War
  • C.The signing of the Constitution
5.How did people observe the first national Decoration Day in 1868?
  • A.By decorating soldiers' graves with flowers
  • B.By eating a turkey dinner
  • C.By setting off fireworks
6.On the second Monday of October, many states and cities also or instead observe which day?
  • A.Flag Day
  • B.Veterans Day
  • C.Indigenous Peoples' Day
7.In what year was Martin Luther King Jr. Day first observed as a federal holiday?
  • A.1986
  • B.1863
  • C.1776
8.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

LessonPrint · D2.His.2.3-5 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — National Holidays: Then and Now

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1894
  2. 2.Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492
  3. 3.President Abraham Lincoln
  4. 4.The end of fighting in World War I on November 11, 1918
  5. 5.By decorating soldiers' graves with flowers
  6. 6.Indigenous Peoples' Day
  7. 7.1986
  8. 8.June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were told they were free

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