The reason we celebrate Labor Day
Labor Day weekend serves as an annual farewell to summer with businesses staying closed through Monday, providing a long weekend for families and friends to gather together and enjoy the warm weather one last time. But why do we celebrate Labor Day?
Like many holidays, Labor Day has become something regularly observed but little understood. We enjoy the day off work without taking time to appreciate the actual cause for celebration.
More than 130 years ago, two men had the same idea to honor the workers who built the United States. The thoughts of Matthew Maguire, a machinist, and Peter McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, created a proposal adopted by the Central Labor Union in New York. The first celebration was held September 5, 1882.
From the beginning, Labor Day was a celebration. A parade was held for the workers to march in and be recognized for their dedication and spirit. When it finished, a carnival was held for their families to enjoy as an expression of gratitude.
Other cities and states quickly adopted the holiday with their own parades and parties in honor of the workers. After twelve years, more than 20 states celebrated Labor Day and Congress passed an act June 28, 2014 that made it a national and legal holiday.
Originally celebrations occurred at different times in the year, with many falling in line with International Workers Day. Eight years before the act was created, the Haymarket affair occurred in Chicago, causing May 1 to be selected as the international holiday. President Grover Cleveland, who signed the Labor Day act into effect, avoided the more common holiday to differentiate it from Communist and Anarchist movements. Instead he chose to honor the month originally selected more than a decade before.
This year marks the 120th anniversary of Labor Day becoming a nationally recognized celebration. For many, it signals the return to school. College football begins Labor Day weekend and the NFL regular season kicks off the following Thursday.
Every holiday has meaning. Take a moment to thank the workers in your lives, the ones who continue to build, shape and better the United States.
Footnotes
U.S. Department of Labor. (2014). History of Labor Day. [Link]
Wikipedia. (2014). Labor Day. [Link]
