Federal holiday in the United States
Labor Day
|
---|
|
Observed by
| United States
|
---|
Type
| National
|
---|
Celebrations
| Parades
,
barbecues
|
---|
Date
| First Monday in September
|
---|
2023 date
| September 4
(
2023-09-04
)
|
---|
2024 date
| September 2
(
2024-09-02
)
|
---|
2025 date
| September 1
(
2025-09-01
)
|
---|
2026 date
| September 7
(
2026-09-07
)
|
---|
Frequency
| Annual
|
---|
Related to
| Labour Day
|
---|
Labor Day
is a
federal holiday in the United States
celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the
American labor movement
and the works and contributions of
laborers
to the development and achievements of the
United States
.
[1]
[2]
[3]
Beginning in the late 19th century, as the
trade union
and
labor movements
grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. "Labor Day" was promoted by the
Central Labor Union
and the
Knights of Labor
, which organized the first parade in
New York City
. In 1887,
Oregon
was the first state of the United States to make it an official
public holiday
. By the time it became an official
federal holiday
in 1894, thirty
states in the U.S.
officially celebrated Labor Day.
[4]
Canada's Labour Day
is also celebrated on the first Monday of September. More than 150 other countries celebrate
International Workers' Day
on May 1, the European holiday of
May Day
. May Day was chosen by the
Second International
of
socialist
and
communist
parties to commemorate the general
labor strike
in the United States and events leading to the
Haymarket affair
, which occurred in
Chicago, Illinois
, from May 1 ? May 4, 1886.
[5]
[6]
History
[
edit
]
Origin
[
edit
]
Beginning in the late 19th century, as the
trade union
and
labor movements
grew, diverse groups of trade unionists chose a variety of days on which to celebrate labor. In the United States, a September holiday called Labor Day was first proposed in the early 1880s.
Alternative accounts of the event's origin exist. Descendants of two men with similar last names claim their great-grandfather was the true father of the holiday.
[7]
According to one early history of Labor Day, the event originated in connection with a General Assembly of the
Knights of Labor
convened in New York City in September 1882.
[8]
In connection with this clandestine Knights assembly, a public parade of various labor organizations was held on September 5 under the auspices of the
Central Labor Union
(CLU) of New York.
[8]
Secretary of the CLU
Matthew Maguire
is credited for first proposing that a national Labor Day holiday subsequently be held on the first Monday of each September in the aftermath of this successful public demonstration.
[2]
[7]
An alternative theory maintains that the idea of Labor Day was the brainchild of
Peter J. McGuire
, a vice president of the
American Federation of Labor
, who, after a visit to
Toronto
where he saw parades celebrating labor that May,
[9]
[10]
had put forward the initial proposal in the spring of 1882.
[4]
According to McGuire, on May 8, 1882, he made a proposition to the fledgling Central Labor Union in New York City that a day be set aside for a "general holiday for the laboring classes".
[11]
According to McGuire he further recommended that the event should begin with a street parade as a public demonstration of organized labor's solidarity and strength, with the march followed by a picnic, to which participating local unions could sell tickets as a fundraiser.
[11]
According to McGuire he suggested the first Monday in September as an ideal date for such a public celebration, owing to optimum weather and the date's place on the calendar, sitting midway between the
Fourth of July
and
Thanksgiving
public holidays.
[11]
Labor Day picnics and other public gatherings frequently featured speeches by prominent labor leaders.
[12]
In 1909, the American Federation of Labor convention designated the Sunday preceding Labor Day as "Labor Sunday", to be dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.
[2]
This secondary date failed to gain significant traction in popular culture, although some churches continue to acknowledge it.
[13]
Legal recognition
[
edit
]
The popularity of the event spread across the country. In 1887,
Oregon
became the first state of the United States to make Labor Day an official
public holiday
. By 1894, thirty
U.S. states
were already officially celebrating Labor Day. In that year,
Congress
passed a bill recognizing the first Monday of September as Labor Day and making it an official
federal holiday
. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law on June 28.
[14]
[4]
The federal law, however, only made it a holiday for federal workers. As late as the 1930s, unions were encouraging workers to strike to make sure they got the day off.
[15]
All U.S. states, the
District of Columbia
, and the
United States territories
have subsequently made Labor Day a statutory holiday.
[16]
Labor Day became a federal holiday shortly after the
Pullman Strike
.
Labor Day versus May Day
[
edit
]
The date of May 1 (an ancient European folk holiday known as
May Day
) emerged in 1886 as an alternative holiday for the celebration of labor, later becoming known as
International Workers' Day
. The date had its origins at the 1885 convention of the American Federation of Labor, which passed a resolution calling for adoption of the
eight-hour day
effective May 1, 1886.
[17]
While negotiation was envisioned for achievement of the shortened work day, use of the strike to enforce this demand was recognized, with May 1 advocated as a date for coordinated strike action.
[17]
The proximity of the date to the bloody
Haymarket affair
of May 4, 1886, further accentuated May First's radical reputation.
[13]
There was disagreement among labor unions at this time about when a holiday celebrating workers should be, with some advocating for continued emphasis of the September march-and-picnic date while others sought the designation of the more politically charged date of May 1. Conservative
Democratic
President
Grover Cleveland
was one of those concerned that a labor holiday on May 1 would tend to become a commemoration of the
Haymarket affair
and would strengthen
socialist
and
anarchist
movements that backed the May 1 commemoration around the globe.
[18]
In 1887, he publicly supported the September Labor Day holiday as a less inflammatory alternative,
[19]
formally adopting the date as a United States federal holiday through a law that he signed in 1894.
[2]
Since the mid-1950s, the United States has celebrated
Loyalty Day
and
Law Day
on May 1. Unlike Labor Day, neither are legal public holidays (in that government agencies and most businesses do not shut down to celebrate them) and therefore have remained relatively obscure. Loyalty Day is formally celebrated in a few cities, while some
bar associations
hold Law Day events to celebrate the
rule of law
.
[20]
[21]
Unofficial end of summer
[
edit
]
Labor Day is called the "unofficial end of summer"
[22]
because it marks the end of the
U.S.
culture's nominal summer season. Many take their two-week
vacations
during the two weeks ending Labor Day weekend.
[23]
Many fall activities, such as school and sports (particularly
football
), begin about this time.
In the United States, many school districts resume classes around the Labor Day holiday weekend (see
First day of school
). Some begin the week before, making Labor Day weekend the first three-day weekend of the school calendar, while others return the Tuesday following Labor Day. Many districts across the Midwest are opting to begin school after Labor Day.
[24]
In the U.S. state of
Virginia
, the
amusement park
industry has successfully lobbied for legislation requiring most school districts in the state to have their first day of school after Labor Day, in order to give families another weekend to visit amusement parks in the state. The relevant statute has been nicknamed the "
Kings Dominion
law" after one such park.
[25]
This law was repealed in 2019.
[26]
In the U.S. state of
Minnesota
, the
State Fair
ends on Labor Day. Under state law, public schools normally do not begin until after the holiday. One reason given for this timing was to allow time for schoolchildren to show
4-H
projects at the Fair.
[27]
In U.S. sports, Labor Day weekend marks the beginning of many fall sports.
National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) teams usually play their first games that weekend,
[28]
and the
National Football League
(NFL) traditionally play their
kickoff game
the Thursday following Labor Day.
[29]
The
Southern 500
NASCAR
auto race has been held on Labor Day weekend at
Darlington Raceway
in
Darlington, South Carolina
from 1950 to 2003 and since 2015.
[30]
At
Indianapolis Raceway Park
, the
National Hot Rod Association
hold their finals of the
NHRA U.S. Nationals
drag race that weekend.
[31]
Labor Day is the middle point between weeks one and two of the
U.S. Open tennis championships
, held in
Flushing Meadows
, New York.
[32]
In fashion, Labor Day is (or was) considered the last day when it is acceptable to wear white
[33]
or
seersucker
.
[34]
[35]
There are numerous events and activities organized in major cities. For example, New York offers the
Labor Day Carnival
, and fireworks over Coney Island.
[36]
In Washington, one popular event is the Labor Day Concert at the U.S. Capitol featuring the
National Symphony Orchestra
with free attendance.
[37]
Labor Day sales
[
edit
]
To take advantage of large numbers of potential customers with time to shop, Labor Day has become an important weekend for
discounts and allowances
by many retailers in the United States, especially for
back-to-school sales
. Some retailers claim it is one of the largest sale dates of the year, second only to the Christmas season's
Black Friday
.
[38]
See also
[
edit
]
Citations
[
edit
]
- ^
U.S. Department of Labor,
"Labor Daze ? Pride, Chaos and Kegs on Labor's First 'Day'"
- ^
a
b
c
d
"The History of Labor Day"
.
United States Department of Labor
.
Archived
from the original on September 25, 2017
. Retrieved
November 3,
2017
.
- ^
"Labor Day 2020"
.
History.com
. A&E Television Networks
. Retrieved
May 16,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
The Bridgemen's magazine
. International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Iron Workers. 1921. pp. 443?444.
Archived
from the original on October 9, 2013
. Retrieved
September 4,
2011
.
- ^
Philip S. Foner
(1986).
May Day: A Short History of the International Workers' Holiday, 1886?1986.
New York: International Publishers. pp. 41?43.
ISBN
0-7178-0624-3
.
- ^
Rothman, Lily (May 1, 2017). "The Bloody Story of How May Day Became a Holiday for Workers".
Time.
Retrieved 2018-03-18.
- ^
a
b
"McGuire or Maguire? A Tussle Over Who Founded Labor Day," by Jenny Gross, The New York Times, September 6, 2020
- ^
a
b
"Origin of Labor Day",
Cincinnati Tribune
, September 1, 1895, Special Labor Day supplement, p. 26.
- ^
"History ? Carpenters' District Council of Ontario"
. Retrieved
September 8,
2020
.
- ^
"Labour day ? a holiday born in Canada"
.
Canadian Labour Congress
. September 3, 2018
. Retrieved
September 2,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
P.J. McGuire, "Labor Day ? Its Birth and Significance",
The Union Agent
[Kentucky], vol. 3, no. 9 (Sept. 1898), p. 1.
- ^
McKeeves, Amy (September 4, 2020).
"Labor Day's surprisingly radical origins"
.
National Geographic
. Archived from
the original
on September 7, 2020
. Retrieved
September 6,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
McDonald, Hannah (August 5, 2019).
"8 Facts About Labor Day"
.
Mental Floss
. Retrieved
September 6,
2020
.
- ^
"Public Acts of the Fifty-Third Congress of the United States"
(PDF)
.
United States Statutes at Large
.
28
: 96. 1894
. Retrieved
September 4,
2020
.
- ^
Zagorsky, Jay (August 29, 2017).
"Have we forgotten the true meaning of Labor Day?"
.
The Conversation US
. Retrieved
September 1,
2019
.
- ^
"The History of Labor Day"
.
United Auto Workers
. August 30, 2017
. Retrieved
September 6,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Philip S. Foner,
May Day: A Short History of the International Workers' Holiday.
New York: International Publishers, 1986; p. 19.
- ^
Sally Kohn (September 1, 2014).
Why Labor Day was a political move
.
CNN
.
Retrieved August 3, 2018.
- ^
"Knights of Labor"
.
Progressive Historians
. September 3, 2007. Archived from
the original
on September 30, 2007.
- ^
Office of the Federal Register (1967).
The Code of Federal regulations of the United States of America
. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 42?43.
- ^
"History of Law Day"
.
American Bar Association
. Retrieved
September 6,
2020
.
- ^
Weil, Martin (August 31, 2019).
"Labor Day weekend brings summer to an unofficial close"
.
The Washington Post
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Labor Day: The last (and best) chance for a summer vacation"
.
The Washington Post
. 31 August 2019.
- ^
Charles, C.M.; Senter, Gail W. (2008).
Elementary Classroom Management
. Pearson / Allyn and Bacon. p. 20.
ISBN
978-0-205-51071-9
.
Archived
from the original on 7 January 2014
. Retrieved
4 September
2011
.
- ^
Freed, Benjamin (25 August 2014).
"
"Kings Dominion law" still reigns in Virginia"
.
Washingtonian Magazine
.
Archived
from the original on 13 September 2016
. Retrieved
5 September
2016
.
- ^
Smith, Max (March 21, 2019).
"With repeal of 'Kings Dominion' law, VA schools can now start before Labor Day"
.
WTOP News
. Retrieved
September 2,
2019
.
- ^
"Commonly asked questions"
.
mpls.k12.mn.us
.
Archived
from the original on 4 September 2017
. Retrieved
27 November
2017
.
- ^
Kirshner, Alex (3 September 2017).
"Why CFB's week 1 became a Thursday-to-Monday event"
.
SBNation.com
. Retrieved
6 September
2020
.
- ^
"Kickoff game now a national event"
.
FOX Sports
. Retrieved
September 6,
2020
.
- ^
Pockrass, Bob (August 22, 2014).
"Sprint Cup schedule: Darlington gets Labor Day weekend back, Bristol moves spring race to April"
.
Sporting News
. Archived from
the original
on August 26, 2014
. Retrieved
August 26,
2014
.
- ^
"NHRA U.S. Nationals"
.
Lucas Oil Raceway
. Retrieved
September 5,
2021
.
- ^
"U.S. Open tennis championship"
.
City of New York
. Retrieved
September 6,
2020
.
- ^
FitzPatrick, Laura (September 8, 2009).
"Why we can't wear white after Labor Day"
.
Time Magazine
. Archived from
the original
on March 3, 2011
. Retrieved
February 25,
2011
.
- ^
Bell, Johnathan (May 9, 2011).
"An introduction to seersucker for men"
.
Guy Style Guide
.
Archived
from the original on April 19, 2012
. Retrieved
May 2,
2012
.
- ^
O'Brien, Glenn (December 15, 2000).
"Daytime wedding after Labor Day: Is it okay to wear a light beige suit to a daytime wedding after Labor Day?"
. The Style Guy.
GQ Magazine
.
Archived
from the original on January 31, 2012
. Retrieved
May 2,
2012
.
- ^
"Labor Day weekend"
.
rove.me
.
- ^
"20+ ways to celebrate Labor Day weekend in Washington, DC"
.
Destination DC
.
- ^
"Labor Day Intention Still Holds Meaning"
.
Tri Parish Times
. August 30, 2012. Archived from
the original
on December 16, 2019
. Retrieved
August 31,
2012
.
General and cited references
[
edit
]
- Green, James (2007).
Death in the Haymarket: A Story of Chicago, the First Labor Movement and the Bombing that Divided Gilded Age America
. New York: Anchor Books.
ISBN
978-1-4000-3322-5
.
OCLC
494649024
.
External links
[
edit
]
Holidays, observances, and celebrations in the United States
|
---|
January
| |
---|
January?February
| |
---|
February
American Heart Month
Black History Month
|
- Birthday of Luis Munoz Marin
(PR)
- Candlemas
(religious)
- Charles Darwin Day / Darwin Day
(CA, DE)
- Day of Remembrance
(CA, OR, WA, cultural)
- Georgia Day
(GA)
- Groundhog Day
- Imbolc
(religious)
- Lincoln's Birthday
(CA, CT, IL, IN, MO, NY, WV)
- National Girls and Women in Sports Day
- National Freedom Day
(36)
- Nirvana Day
(religious)
- Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple
(religious)
- Promised Reformer Day
(religious)
- Ronald Reagan Day
(CA)
- Rosa Parks Day
(CA, MO)
- Saviours' Day
(religious)
- Susan B. Anthony Day
(CA, FL, NY, WI, WV, proposed federal)
- Tu B’shvat
(religious)
|
---|
February?March
| |
---|
March
Irish-American Heritage Month
Colon Cancer Awareness Month
Women's History Month
|
- Annunciation of the Virgin Mary / Annunciation of the Theotokos
(religious)
- Casimir Pulaski Day
(IL)
- Cesar Chavez Day
(CA, CO, TX, proposed federal)
- Emancipation Day in Puerto Rico
(PR, cultural)
- Evacuation Day
(Suffolk County, MA)
- Harriet Tubman Day
(NY)
- Hola Mohalla
(religious)
- Holi
(NY, religious)
- L. Ron Hubbard's Birthday
(religious)
- Lailat al-Mi'raj
(religious)
- Liberation and Freedom Day
(Charlottesville, VA, cultural)
- Mardi Gras
(AL (in two counties), LA)
- Maryland Day
(MD)
- Medal of Honor Day
- National Poison Prevention Week
(week)
- Nowruz
(cultural, religious)
- Ostara
(religious)
- Pi Day
- Prince Jonah K?hi? Kalaniana?ole Day
(HI)
- Promised Messiah Day
(religious)
- Saint Joseph's Day
(religious)
- Seward's Day
(AK)
- Texas Independence Day
(TX)
- Town Meeting Day
(VT)
- Transfer Day
(VI)
- Trans Day of Visibility
(cultural)
|
---|
March?April
|
- Good Friday
(CT, NC, PR, NJ, VI, religious)
- Hanuman Jayanti
(religious)
- Holy Thursday
(PR, VI, religious)
- Holy Week
(PR, religious, week)
- Lazarus Saturday
(religious)
- Mahavir Janma Kalyanak
(religious)
- Mesha Sankranti / Hindu New Year
(religious)
- Palm Sunday
(PR, religious)
- Passover
(religious, week)
- Easter Monday / Bright Monday
(VI, religious)
- Ramnavami
(religious)
- Chandramana Uugadi / Souramana Uugadi
(religious)
|
---|
April
Arab American Heritage Month
Confederate History Month
| |
---|
May
Asian American and
Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
Military Appreciation Month
| |
---|
June
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Pride Month
| |
---|
July
| |
---|
July?August
| |
---|
August
| |
---|
September
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
| |
---|
September?October
Hispanic Heritage Month
| |
---|
October
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Disability Employment Awareness Month
Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month
Filipino American History Month
LGBT History Month
| |
---|
October?November
| |
---|
November
Native American Indian Heritage Month
|
- Ascension of ‘Abdu’l Baha
(religious)
- All Saints' Day
(religious)
- Beginning of the Nativity Fast
(religious)
- Beltane
/
Samhain
(religious)
- Barack Obama Day in Alabama
(Perry County, AL)
- D. Hamilton Jackson Day
(VI)
- Day after Thanksgiving
(24)
- Day of the Covenant
(religious)
- Discovery of Puerto Rico Day
(PR)
- Election Day
(CA, DE, HI, KY, MT, NJ, NY, OH, PR, VA, WV, proposed federal)
- Family Day
(NV)
- Guru Nanak Gurpurab
(religious)
- Hanukkah
(religious)
- L? K??oko?a
(HI, unofficial, cultural)
- Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur
(religious)
- Native American Heritage Day
(MD, WA, cultural)
- Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple
(religious)
- Trans Day of Remembrance
(cultural)
- Unthanksgiving Day
(cultural)
|
---|
December
|
- Advent Sunday
(religious)
- Alabama Day
(AL)
- Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib
(religious)
- Bodhi Day
(religious)
- Chalica
(religious)
- Christmas Eve
(KY, NC, SC, PR, VI)
- Day after Christmas
(KY, NC, SC, TX, VI)
- Festivus
- HumanLight
- Hanukkah
(religious, week)
- Immaculate Conception
(religious)
- Indiana Day
(IN)
- Kwanzaa
(cultural, week)
- Milad Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin
(religious)
- National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
(36)
- Nativity of Jesus
(religious)
- Old Year's Night
(VI)
- Pan American Aviation Day
(36)
- Pancha Ganapati
(religious, week)
- Rosa Parks Day
(OH, OR)
- Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
(religious)
- Wright Brothers Day
(36)
- Yule
(religious)
- Zartosht No-Diso
(religious)
|
---|
Varies (year round)
| |
---|
|