This article is about the U.S. holiday. For the similarly-named holiday in other countries, see
Labour Day. For other uses, see
Labor Day (disambiguation).
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
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
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
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 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
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]
^"Labor Day 2020". History.com. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
^
abcThe 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.
ISBN0-7178-0624-3.
^Rothman, Lily (May 1, 2017). "The Bloody Story of How May Day Became a Holiday for Workers". Time. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
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.
ISBN978-1-4000-3322-5.
OCLC494649024.
(federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific
racial/ethnic group or
sexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) =
Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies