Labor Day is the big end-of-summer holiday in the United States, but it is much more than that. The holiday celebrates the dignity of work. It honors the achievements of American workers and the importance of their contribution to the nation.
Around the time of the Industrial Revolution, the typical workweek consisted of 12-hour days, 7 days a week. The pay was meager and children were also forced to work since they provided a means for the cheapest labor. Under these conditions the American workforce became increasingly upset and demanded a better way of life.
The first Labor Day celebration was held in New York City. On September 5, 1882, a Tuesday, about 10,000 workers to an unpaid work day and marched from City Hall to Union Square. Afterward, they gathered in Reservoir Park with their families to voice their concerns, the day also included a concert and a picnic. That event was organized by the Central Labor Union, which urged other labor organizations to celebrate with them the following year.
Some believe that Labor Day was the suggestion of Peter J. McGuire, a carpenter who was a union leader and cofounder of the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions. Other think the idea may have come from Matthew Maguire, a machinist who was then secretary of the Central Labor Union. Current research seems to back the idea that Matthew Maguire from New Jersey proposed the first holiday. In either case, the Central Labor Union deserves full credit for organizing the celebration. They were the first to call for a holiday dedicated to labor.
In 1887, Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a legal holiday. That same year, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York did the same. Other states soon followed their example. In 1894, Congress passed legislation making Labor Day a national holiday, to be celebrated on the first Monday of September. Workers across the country used the day to celebrate their achievements and to call for reforms.
· More on the Industrial Revolution
The American worker is a vital piece of the economic machine of America. Labor day is a day where people can take a break and pay tribute to those who help give the nation its freedom, strength and ideals. Though this is in done less today with big parades in the streets. A new trend on Labor Day is motivational speakers such as union officials, educators, government officials and more. Speeches are covered on television, newspapers and radio to help commemorate the nations hardest working individuals to whom the country owes its livelihood to.