Figure 1.--Here an unidentified American family is together for a Labor Day picnic somewhere in the country. Notice how thgey have dressed up. It looks like grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are involved. the snapshot is undated, but the clothes suggest the 1910s. Today backyard barbecues are more common than picnics. For years schools would begin after Labor Day, but now most schools begin before the holiday. Labor Day may be kids least favorite holiday as it means the summer vacation is over and school begins again.

Labor Day is celebrated in America on the first Monday in September. The United States is the only country that does not celebrate Labor Day on May 1. American workers like workers in other countries lobbied for a holiday celebrating the labor movement and the labor ofArmerican workers. It was dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. And it is an annual tribute to the contribution Anerican workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the United States. The effort to create a holiday began at the local level with the adoption of municipal ordinances passed during the 1880s. The first Labor Day was celebrated (1882). Its origins stem from the desire of the Central Labor Union to create a holiday for workers. Then idea proved popular and spread rapidly. Efforts were launched in various states to obtain state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature. The first state to adopt a labor day celebration was Oregon (1887). Morethan half the states has enacted labor day legisltion (by 1894). At this point the idea had bcome so popular that Congress acted making the first Monday in September of each year a legal Federal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories. The originl idea was to hold parades to allow the public to honor the work of the trade and labor organizations. After the parades, festival was to be held that workers and their families could enjoy. Prominent men and women would give speeches. It was aood time to appeal for the union vote, especially during elction years. The celebration date appears to hve nothing to do with the labor movement and avoided th May 1 date trade unions in Europe were promoting. The September choice seems to have been to add a holiday in the long gap between Independence Day and Thanksgiving. (Colunbus Day was not yet a national holiday.) The idea of a picnic or now backyard barbecues are popular. The weather is still warm in early September, but begins to get cooler soon after. For years schools would begin after Labor Day, but now most schools begin before the holiday. Labor Day may be kids least favirite holiday as it means the summer vacation is over and school begins again.

Created: 2:13 AM 3/22/2018
Last updated: 2:13 AM 3/22/2018