TheHistoryOf.net

Labor Day – a special holiday. But why? Why is it so welcome? Why do people look forward to that holiday so much? Could it be because it’s the only long weekend between Independence Day and Thanksgiving? Or could it be because it’s the end of a wonderful summer? If you’re going back to school or work after summer holidays, perhaps it’s not so welcome. Perhaps it signifies the end of something good and the beginning of “back to the old grind”. But whatever Labor Day means to you, it meant a lot to the people who instituted it. The history of Labor Day began with a lot of violence. Let’s take a closer look.

The Industrial Revolution creates unhappy workers

When the Industrial Revolution hit America, it brought with it some heavy demands, one of the biggest of which was the demand for workers. People were needed to work in the factories and mines. The business owners had one objective in mind – production. And they’d do anything and everything they could to achieve it.

So as people were hired to fuel the fire of progress, they became secondary concerns to the owners. Production, production, production! That’s all they cared about. And the workers? Well, they were being paid, so what did it matter if their working conditions weren’t very good. As long as the factories were pumping out their goods and the money was rolling in, everything was ok.

But everything wasn’t ok for the workers. They were working long days – 14 hours or more. And there was no Monday to Friday. They slaved away 6 days a week. And the factories weren’t very safe, either. They were dimly-lit, and there were accidents with the crude machinery. People were getting injured, with no benefits to help them as they recovered. The picture was indeed bleak.

Trade unions organize workers to fight for better working conditions

You can only push people so far before they stand up for their rights. The workers got to the point where they were “mad as hell and they weren’t going to take it anymore!” There were others who agreed with them – union leaders. They’d been trying to organize workers for 100 years, persuading them to join trade unions that would have a louder voice in getting better working conditions.

One of those leaders was Peter McGuire. Peter had entered the workforce at a very early age – 11 years old. His father was off fighting in the Civil War and Peter had to go to work to support his mother and 6 sisters. So he was no stranger to the poor working conditions of the everyday laborer. He was happy to join the 100,000 workers who marched the streets of New York, in support of their demands for better working conditions. And this gathering instilled in him an activist spirit, which stayed with him, motivating him to organize his fellow workers into trade unions.

The unions started to have a positive effect. The owners had to give in, somewhat, to keep their factories going. Peter McGuire had established the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. He was becoming an influential figure in the push for improvements for the workers. So when he thought of having a day of celebration to honor the workers efforts, it was immediately accepted by New York’s Central Labor Union. The day for this festival was chosen to give workers a break in the long working period between Independence Day and Thanksgiving Day. There were no legal holidays during that period, so it was a perfect time.

Labor Day celebrations began

It was decided that this special day would be called Labor Day, in respect to the hard labor that workers endured. And the day would be in the first week of September. There would be a parade, with festivities, food and fun. The occasion would also give union leaders an opportunity to make speeches, congratulating the workers for their efforts, and motivating them to push for even better working conditions and more solidarity.

All these plans came into being on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, with a parade down Broadway in New York City by 10,000 workers. They carried banners that indicated their stand, like “Labor Creates All Wealth”, and “Eight Hours for Work; Eight Hours for Rest; Eight Hours for Recreation!” But the focus of the gathering wasn’t a demonstration or a protest – it was a festival, a celebration of their accomplishments. There were picnics, concerts, games, fireworks – everything that made up a joyous occasion.

By the way, there’s a lot of controversy about who actually founded Labor Day. Some people say it was a machinist, Mathew Maguire. The confusion comes from the fact that it was Mathew Maguire who organized the first Labor Day parade, not the actual holiday. So to get it straight, Peter McGuire organized the first Labor Day, and Mathew Maguire organized the first Labor Day parade.

Another thing to consider, as far as accurate history records go, is Peter McGuire’s idea of Labor Day. It has to be considered that it may not have been an original idea. Ten years before the “first” Labor Day celebrations, in 1872, Canada had similar festivals. The cities of Ottawa and Toronto celebrated with parades and rallies to honor workers. The Canadian government officially designated the September date as a national holiday in 1894. So perhaps Canadians were first – again!

Labor Day becomes an official holiday

Although the Central Labor Union had established Labor Day as an annual holiday, it wasn’t officially authorized by the government. But they carried on anyway. The second Labor Day celebration was held on a Wednesday, probably because it was the same date as the first Labor Day – September 5th.

The Labor Day concept was widely accepted and quickly spread across the nation. Municipalities started to pass by-laws recognizing Labor Day as a holiday. From there, state governments joined the movement, with New York state being the first to introduce a Labor Day bill. However, Oregon beat them to it, passing a Labor Day law on February 21, 1887. Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York followed suit over the next 4 years, making Labor day an official state holiday. By 1894, 23 more states had passed Labor Day laws.

Meanwhile, the President at that time, Grover Cleveland, was facing an election. But his chances of re-election weren’t very good. You see, in 1893, he’d sent 12,000 federal troops to Chicago to stop railway workers from striking. This clash erupted into massive violence. In fact, 2 U.S. deputy marshals were killed. So President Cleveland’s hard-handed methods of dealing with the workers didn’t sit too well with them, and they weren’t about to re-elect him.

So in a desperate attempt to win over the workers, President Cleveland designated the first Monday in September as an official holiday, Labor Day. The government rushed the bill through and it was signed into law. Labor Day was official. But it didn’t help President Cleveland – he lost the election anyway!

Labor Day today

Labor Day celebrations have come a long way since the turn of the century. It’s not so much an honoring of the workers anymore. It’s just an opportunity to get off work, and celebrate the end of summer (if that’s something to celebrate). Many people see the Labor Day weekend as merely an opportunity for a last summer fling. And whether they celebrate it playing golf, going camping or fishing, having a backyard steak barbeque, or attending a picnic in the park or at the beach, the true original meaning of Labor Day seems, for the most part, to have become lost in the enjoyment of the moment.

It’s a good thing to enjoy your last summer holiday. But it’s also a good thing to respect and honor those who didn’t have the favorable working conditions we have now. It’s a good thing to remember those who fought very hard for workers’ rights.

So explore whatever you like to do on Labor Day. But remember the original purpose of the holiday, as stated by the U.S. Department of Labor: “It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom and leadership – the American worker”. And we say…Amen to that!

About the Author

Gareth Marples is a business writer providing valuable tips and advice for consumers. His numerous articles offer moneysaving tips and valuable insight on typically confusing topics.