Happy Labor Day!
Happy Labor Day everyone!
Although I am a bigger fan of May Day, this day is still an important day for workers of all backgrounds. Since I honestly don’t know many people who fit into the category of laborer (which is a shame), here’s to the rest: Happy Day out of the Cubicle to you!
Despite Labor Day being a day of rest for most people, it wasn’t always this way. We shouldn’t forget why there is such a holiday as Labor Day or the fact that the working conditions we have today are owed to our ancestors who fought for their safety and ours.
The History Channel’s website has a good summary of how Labor Day started:
As the Industrial Revolution took hold of the nation, the average American in the late 1800s worked 12-hour days, seven days a week in order to make a basic living. Children were also working, as they provided cheap labor to employers and laws against child labor were not strongly enforced.
With the long hours and terrible working conditions, American unions became more prominent and voiced their demands for a better way of life. On Tuesday September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers marched from city hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first-ever Labor Day parade. Participants took an unpaid day-off to honor the workers of America, as well as vocalize issues they had with employers. As years passed, more states began to hold these parades, but Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later.
There is some doubt over who started Labor Day, but many historians credit Peter McGuire, who was a general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and was co-founder of the American Federation of Labor. I don’t think it matters who started it, but I’m glad someone did!
For more information on Labor Day, view the rest of History.com’s excellent presentation of this holiday: its history, fun facts, prominent leaders, videos, images and more! Check it out here.
work, workers, Labor Day, History Channel, Industrial Revolution, labor, wages, protests
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