Labor Day

By Wyatt Conroy

Knight Life Article

What is Labor Day? Labor Day is a holiday on the first Monday of every September to honor the United States Labor Movement. It is a federal holiday, meaning Labor Day celebrations occur throughout the country. It gives a day off from school, making it a three-day weekend.

It began being celebrated in the late 19th century as trade unions and labor movements grew exponentially.  Advertised by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, the 1st parade in New York City. Oregon acknowledged it as an official public holiday in 1887, and by the time it became an official national holiday in 1894, over 30 states were celebrating it. That same year, Congress passed a bill recognizing it as an official United States holiday.  

Over 150 countries celebrate International Workers Day, including Canada, which also celebrates on the first Monday of September. As usual, everything good in Canada comes from us. International Workers Day, celebrated on May 1st, commemorates the labor strikes that led to the Haymarket affair in Chicago from May 1st to May 4th, 1886. 

Alternative theories say that Labor Day was the brainchild of Peter J McGuire, Vice President of the American Federation of Labor. He traveled to Canada and saw the celebrations and parades that celebrated Canada’s union and labor workers. He may have put forward the initial proposition in the Spring of 1882. Either way, Labor Day is the unofficial “End of Summer” as it marks the end of the United States’s nominal summer season. In the US, many schools resume classes around the Labor Day weekend. Some begin the week before, while others return the Tuesday following Labor Day. Some districts across the Midwest are opting to start school after Labor Day.