The Fascinating History of Labor Day

For the majority of people living in the United States, Labor Day is the time of year to celebrate before the end of summer and the start of the next school year, even though some schools start their year in August now. Many people have cookouts in their backyards and spend the day relaxing and enjoying themselves with friends and family. Unfortunately, many of us have actually forgotten the true meaning of the holiday and how it was started to honor America’s working force. And, while we know Labor Day was first celebrated in the late 1800s, there’s still a bit of controversy as to who actually started the observance and made it a nationwide holiday.

Most of the credit for starting Labor Day is given to the Central Labor Union of New York City who wanted to organize a celebration to honor the laborers who gave so much of themselves throughout the year. Other sources say that the Knights of Labor started the holiday with the first Labor Day parade, while there are still others who credit a man by the name of Peter McGuire, who was a member of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, and another named Matthew Maquire, who according to the U.S. Department of Labor was a member of the International Association of Machinists, with introducing the holiday to the rest of the country.

The United States wasn’t the only nation to observe a labor day as even communist countries had one which was celebrated on the first day of May. As the U.S. decided when the American holiday should be, the month of May was ruled out in order to differentiate the day from communism.

The following timeline will help you to understand the real history of Labor Day and how the holiday came to be:

1882: A parade was held to commemorate the first observance of Labor Day on Tuesday September 5 by the Central Union Labor and the Knights of Labor organizations.

1884: The first Monday in the month of September was designated as the annual date for Labor Day each and every year. The Central Labor Union then spread the word urging others to join in on this “working man’s holiday.”

1887: The very first states to establish Labor Day as a official holiday were New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Colorado, and Oregon. Other states were urged to also recognize the day and over the next few years, more and more began celebrating Labor Day as well.

1892: In honor of Labor Day, union workers in New York took the day off without pay in order to have a celebratory parade in Union Square.

1894: After layoffs, strikes, and plenty of civil unrest regarding an upheaval with the Pullman Company in the year 1893, President Cleveland and the U.S. Congress stated that Labor Day was to be a nationally recognized holiday in hopes of easing the stress and tension from the previous year. Soon, parades, community gatherings, and elaborate festivals became a part of the Labor Day tradition.

1909: According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Day Sunday was first “dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.”

While the meaning of Labor Day itself has strayed a bit from the original intended meaning of the holiday first observed more than a hundred years ago, citizens of the United States still celebrate and pay tribute to those men and women who made this great nation what it is today.

References:

U.S. Department of Labor, “The History of Labor Day.” US Department of Labor in the 21st Century. 22 July 2007. http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm

Lehrer, Jim. “THE ORIGINS OF LABOR DAY.” On-line NewsHour. 02 Sep 2001. 22 Jul 2007 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/september96/labor_day_9-2.html

Wilson, Jerry. “Labor Day - History of the Observance of Labor Day.” 2006. 22 Jul 2007 http://wilstar.com/holidays/laborday.htm

photo credit: leafar.