USA, — For many Americans, Labor Day signifies the final day of summer.
People throughout the country use this holiday for one last day at the beach, a barbecue or any other favorite summer activity. Was this what the day has always been about?
The earliest adopters of Labor Day were not thinking about summer vacation when the holiday first originated. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the true meaning of Labor Day has more to do with acknowledging American workers.
"Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers," the U.S. Department of Labor said. "The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being."
HISTORY adds that Labor Day came about following the Industrial Revolution, a time in which workers suffered harsh working conditions in factories. Many of these workers were immigrants, and some were even children.
At the same time, labor unions became more prominent, emphasizing the importance of safer working conditions for these workers.
Despite knowing these origins, it remains unclear as to who truly proposed the Labor Day holiday. Both Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, and Matthew Maguire, secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York, have been credited for the holiday.
Regardless of who first called for its creation, the Central Labor Union held the first Labor Day celebration on September 5, 1882. This celebration was actually held on a Tuesday, not the Monday it has since become. The U.S. Department of Labor states that the original proposal for Labor Day called for parades and festivals that would highlight "'the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations'" in their respective communities.
Throughout the next 12 years, the holiday spread to 23 more states. President Grover Cleveland officially made Labor Day a national holiday on June 28, 1894, deciding it would fall on the first Monday of September every year.
"American labor has raised the nation’s standard of living and contributed to the greatest production the world has ever known and the labor movement has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy," the U.S. Department of Labor said. "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."
For more on the history of Labor Day, you can visit the U.S. Department of Labor's website here.
