Sept. 1 is the last of the summer holidays – Labor Day. The day is a celebration of American workers, a tribute to working men and women across the nation. It is a day to honor the working Americans who have made the United States the most prosperous, productive country in the world.
As is the case with many holidays, there are questions about the true origins of the holiday. That is true today, 116 years after the first observance of the day.
There are historians who credit the celebration to Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, with first announcing that there should be a day to honor working Americans.
Other scholars challenge that assertion, claiming that Matthew Maguire, a labor official with the International Association of Machinists, proposed the holiday. On the other hand, it is clear the idea was championed by those in unions who decided to create a day to honor their members’ efforts.
The first Labor Day observance was on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City. The city’s Central Labor Union honored its laborers a second time on the same date in 1883. For the third celebration, the union decided the holiday should be observed on the first Monday in September and began soliciting other unions across the country to join in the celebration. By 1885, the day honoring American workers was celebrated across the nation in industry-heavy cities.
Although many cities and states began recognizing the holiday, it was not until June 28, 1894, that Congress passed an act to make the day a national holiday.
Today, many cities have Labor Day parades after which speeches, honoring the American worker, are given. For most, the day is a day to relax around the barbecue, be with families and enjoy the traditional end of summer, before the leaves begin to fall and the winter holiday seasons arrive.