Written by Lauren James Budhu
After a whirlwind summer filled with endless beach days, popsicles, and the Olympics, we are enduring the shift towards back-to-school days, football season, and sweater weather. Enter Labor Day!
Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday that signifies the unofficial end of summer has roots that date back to the late 1800s when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions that workers have made to America’s prosperity and strength as a country.
According to History.com, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks to make a living. Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as 5 or 6 years old worked in mills, factories, and mines across the country, earning a fraction of their adult colleagues’ wages. As manufacturing increasingly replaced agriculture as a mainstay of American employment, labor unions became more prominent and vocal. They began organizing strikes and rallies to protest poor conditions and spur employers to renegotiate hours and pay.
On September 5, 1882, more than 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history.
The idea of a “workingman’s holiday,” celebrated on the first Monday in September, caught on in other industrial centers nationwide, and many states passed legislation recognizing it. A movement developed to secure legislation for state legislation; New York was the first state to introduce a bill, and Oregon was the first to pass a law recognizing Labor Day in 1887. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday. Finally, on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday.
Many Americans celebrate Labor Day with family barbeques, get-togethers, and parades – similar to those outlined by the first proposal for a holiday, which suggested that it should be observed with a street parade to exhibit "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, according to the U.S. Department of Labor website.
American labor has raised the nation’s standard of living and contributed to the greatest time of production the world has known. This labor movement has brought us closer to realizing our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy, thanks to all those who help make our country run every day. Here are some fun ideas to celebrate your Labor Day weekend and embrace the true reason for the holiday.
