For many people, Labor Day is just a three-day weekend. But how did this holiday come to be? Celebrated on the first Monday of every September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of American workers’ social and economic achievements.
This holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century when labor- activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize American workers’ contributions to strengthening the nation.
There is a debate over who founded Labor Day. Some credit Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, proposed setting aside a day for a “general holiday for the laboring classes” to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.”
Others believe machinist Matthew Maguire founded the holiday. Maguire proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.
Many American workers held a Labor revolt, insisting they deserved to have a break for how hard they work. The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday.
On June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday.
Today many men and women celebrate Labor Day with parades and parties. While it has grown to be more of a celebration of work than a needed day off, Labor Day remains a time to pay tribute to the creators of America’s strength, freedom, and leadership – the American worker.
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