Labor Day was the reason school wasn’t in session Monday, and yet lots of people don’t know as to why Labor Day even exists and why it’s important, throwing it aside as just simply a day off. But the history of Labor Day’s existence is very interesting, and the payoff of having Labor Day as a federally recognized holiday has had a positive impact on our country. So why is it interesting, and why is it important?
Labor Day became a national holiday in the USA in 1894, happening on the first Monday of September. But before Labor Day was signed in by President Grover Cleveland, it began as a parade in New York in 1892. Organized by the Knights of Labor, the parade was meant to celebrate and commemorate America’s workers, many of whom were fighting against labor on the work life. Work regulations back then that had compelled the unionists and eventually would lead to the holiday were little to none, from the strenuous hours, typically 12 hours a day, 6 days week, from hard manual labor to underpaying car companies, and to the child workers. Labor unions and workers were leading a fight against these regulations through the parades. The parade caught on and spread throughout the states, including the state of Colorado, before it became a federally recognized holiday.
Brought into fruition from the rallying of unionists, Labor Day may have been severed over the years from its initial intent of being a reminder and testament for the efforts of workers and unions to becoming simply an end to summer and a picnic day, but its meaning still stands. The meaning of giving a relaxing day and a break to America’s populace is still real, and the payoff of all the leaders and organizers stands is very legitimate even a hundred years later.
