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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 19 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.Who made Thanksgiving a yearly national day of thanks in 1863?
  • A.President Abraham Lincoln
  • B.George Washington
  • C.The Pilgrims
2.Why was Labor Day created?
  • A.To honor workers, after years of campaigning by labor unions
  • B.To mark the first day of school
  • C.To celebrate the end of a war
3.What does Columbus Day, the federal holiday, mark?
  • A.The founding of Jamestown
  • B.The first Thanksgiving
  • C.Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492
4.Why was Armistice Day renamed Veterans Day in 1954?
  • A.Because World War I was forgotten
  • B.To move it to the spring
  • C.To honor veterans of all wars, not only World War I
5.How did people observe the first national Decoration Day in 1868?
  • A.By eating a turkey dinner
  • B.By decorating soldiers' graves with flowers
  • C.By setting off fireworks
6.On the second Monday of October, many states and cities also or instead observe which day?
  • A.Indigenous Peoples' Day
  • B.Flag Day
  • C.Veterans Day
7.What was Memorial Day first called?
  • A.Armistice Day
  • B.Flag Day
  • C.Decoration Day
8.Why do many places observe Indigenous Peoples' Day?
  • A.To celebrate a European king
  • B.To mark the start of winter
  • C.To honor Native peoples, who lived in the Americas long before 1492

LessonPrint · D2.His.2.3-5 · Set 19 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — National Holidays: Then and Now

Set 19. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.President Abraham Lincoln
  2. 2.To honor workers, after years of campaigning by labor unions
  3. 3.Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492
  4. 4.To honor veterans of all wars, not only World War I
  5. 5.By decorating soldiers' graves with flowers
  6. 6.Indigenous Peoples' Day
  7. 7.Decoration Day
  8. 8.To honor Native peoples, who lived in the Americas long before 1492

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