Published September 6, 2021

The History of Labor Day!

Written by Ann Milano

HAPPY LABOR DAY
WELCOME TO FALL!

Near the close of the 19th century, as the American labor movement gained strength, Peter J. McGuire, a carpenter, and cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, a union leader, was believed to be the person who came up with the idea for Labor Day. He thought American workers should be celebrated and honored with their own day. He proposed his idea to New York's Central Labor Union early in 1882, and they thought the holiday was a good idea. In a counterclaim, it has also been suggested that a man named Matthew Maguire, a machinist from Patterson New Jersey, proposed the holiday while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. Funny that both men shared the last name of “McGuire”.

Whichever McGuire was the founder, the very first Labor Day in the country was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City. The first proposal for a holiday suggested that the day should be observed with a street parade to exhibit "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations”.

From 1887 to 1894, 23 states enacted legislation creating Labor Day as a holiday. Labor Day celebrates the social and economic achievements of workers in the United States, according to the Department of Labor. Congress passed an act making it an official federal holiday and to be celebrated on the first Monday in September. In 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law making Labor Day an official federal holiday.

Labor Day has always marked the end of the vacation season and the final holiday of summer with the return to school and full-time work. Still today the Labor Day festivities always include parades, picnics, and backyard parties to celebrate the day.

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