The History of Labor Day!

CENTRAL WATCH

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Labor Day is a creation of the labor movement to celebrate the social and economic achievement of American workers.  We celebrate this every year on the first Monday of September.  It is a day to celebrate all the contributions of that Americans have made to the prosperity of our great country.  

It is not quite clear who invented Labor Day.  There is speculation between two men, Peter J. McGuire and Matthew Maguire.  Recent research seems to support Matthew Maguire, but we are still not sure.  One thing that is certain is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.  

The first Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday September 5, 1882 in New York City.  After a few years this idea of celebrating the working class caught on throughout the country.  By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.  

The first proposal of the holiday outlined the way the day should be celebrated.  A street parade followed by a festival to celebrate the strength and determination of the trade and labor organizations, to be enjoyed by all workers and their families.  This became a pattern for the holiday, other aspects such as important social speakers were added as the importance and popularity of the holiday grew.  Recently the celebrations have undergone a change, with large industrial centers having problems conducting huge parades and celebrations.  

They have shifted the emphasis not the importance, giving union officials, industrialists, and educator wider coverage on TV, newspapers and radio.  It is essential that we celebrate the creator of our nation’s unmatched strength, freedom and leadership – the American Worker.