The History of Labor Day

By Ronda Bernstein on 09/06/2010 @ 12:01 PM

The History of Labor Day - US Department of Labor

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union in New York who had earlier adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic. They urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on the first Monday in September.

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. The primary goal, however, was that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.

Taken from the US Department of Labor. The entire article, The History of Labor Day, can be read on their website.

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