Its The End Of Summer, So Why Do We Celebrate Labor Day?

By:Nicola Kennedy

Many of us have probably wondered throughout the years why we celebrate Labor Day, though we have not made any concentrated effort to find out. It is a tradition that we accept with no questions asked. Some may not even be aware that Labor Day is more than just the end of summer activities.

Labor unions were the first to celebrate the beginning of the Labor Day tradition in the US. A union leader by the name of Peter McGuire originated the idea of setting aside a day for workers to gather in unity. On September 5, 1882, the inaugural Labor Day parade with all its finery was held in New York City, and a decision was made by the labor unions to designate a date between Independence Day and the Thanksgiving holiday. The first Monday in September was chosen for future celebrations.

As the idea circulated in the United States, some states declared this day a holiday even before the first Monday in September was designated a national holiday.

President Grover Cleveland signed the bill to honor Labor Day. The date was chosen to be that of the first Monday in the month of September. What makes this memorable is that Cleveland was not a support of the unions. In fact, at the time he signed the bill, he was attempting to repair some damage to his political career that he had previously suffered when he sent troops to stop a strike that was sponsored by the Railway Workers Union that caused 34 workers to lose their lives.

In Europe, China, and other countries in the rest of the world, it is May Day, the first day of May, that they hold celebrations similar to the North American celebration for Labor Day.

In the 1950's approximately 40 percent of workers belonged to labor unions in the United States. Currently that figure is approximately 14 percent. As a result, Labor Day is celebrated more as the unofficial way to end the summer than as a labor union holiday. Just about all schools as well as businesses (including the US Government) close on Labor Day to allow people to have one more barbeque before it begins to turn cold. It used to be symbolic, also, as the beginning of a new school year, but with many schools returning the middle or end of August, the day has lost its significance in that respect, though it is still a closed holiday for schools.

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: holiday, family, party, recreation, history, labor day

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Nicola always enjoys celebrating Labor Day and the end of summer. Visit her site Labor Day 2006 site for Labor Daytips and news, information and views at labor-day.your-holiday.info

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright Your-Holiday.info

Top History Articles
1). Chavez's Inspiration - Simon Bolivar By : Sam Vaknin Simon Bolivar (1783-1830) is a Latin American folk hero, revered for having been a revolutionary freedom fighter, a compassionate egalitarian and a successful politician. He is credited with the liberation from Spanish colonial yoke of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, a country named after him. Venezuela's new strongman, Hugo Chavez, renamed his country The Bolivarian republic of Venezuela to reflect the role of his "Bolivarian revolution".
2). The Story of the Guillotine By : Sam Vaknin The guillotine was first put to lethal use on April 25, 1792, at 3:30 PM, in Paris at the Place de Greve on the Right Bank of the Seine. It separated highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier's head from the rest of his body. The device was perfected - though not invented- by Doctor Joseph Ignace Guillotin (1738 - 1814). The 'e' at the end of the noun is a later, British, addition.
3). The Building of the Pentagon By : Sam Vaknin The Pentagon was completed in 16 months. It was built on a swamp and on the area of the old Washington airport. Trucks hauled some 5.5 million cubic yards (4.2 million cubic meters) of junk and soil and dumped it in the marshes. The building's foundation rests on 41,492 concrete piles. The purchase of land cost $2.25 million (in 1943 dollars). The building itself cost c.
4). Another Look at Mahatma Gandhi By : Sam Vaknin Many myths abound about Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand known as Mahatma "Great Souled") Gandhi (1869-1948). He was not born to a poor Indian family. His father was dewan (chief minister) of Porbandar, the capital of a small principality in Gujarat in western India under British suzerainty. He later became dewan of Rajkot. He married at the age of 13 and was a mediocre student.
5). New-Gate in New England: Hard Time Connecticut Style By : dave4 The very 1st state prison in the United States was founded before there were states at all, let alone united ones. Connecticut’s New-Gate Prison, originally a copper mine, was began it’s role as a detention center in the fall of 1773 as the colony’s public “gaol” and workhouse. It was called New-Gate after the fearsome prison of the same name in England.
6). The History of Hoodia By : Patricia Zelkovsky Its main function was to quell the thirst and hunger that would affect warriors during long hunting trips. These warriors even fed their dogs slices of the plant to keep them from having interest in their food supplies.
7). Conflict in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) PART I By : kumar India and Pakistan have in the past fought four wars over J&K and held several talks to resolve the 56 year old problem, but till now no tangible results have emerged, except for a composite dialogue. Although, both India and Pakistan are trying to move the peace process ahead, yet there are very few indications in a policy shift. Pakistan continues.
8). Argentina's Economy in a Nutshell By : Dave Brown Argentina's Economy Contrary to conventional economic wisdom, rich countries tend to stay rich and poor countries tend to stay poor. The exceptions tend to be those "economic miracles", like Japan, that have lifted themselves from the ranks of the poor into the ranks of the economic elite. Argentine economic history stands in stark contrast to that pattern.
9). Another Look at Indians (Native Americans, Amerindians) By : Sam Vaknin Native Americans are often cast in the role of victims of White aggression and unbridled avarice-driven or gratuitous violence, especially in the territories known collectively today as the United States. But the first massacre was perpetrated by Indians in the British colony Jamestown, in Virginia in 1622. They slaughtered 347 white men, women and children on that occasion.
10). Secondary 800-Year Age of Adam By : timeemits Secondary 800-Year Age of Adam

New History Articles
1). Hooray for Flag Day – why do we celebrate it on June 14? By : nan What are the important dates in American Flag history? • January 1, 1776, George Washington ordered the Grand Union flag hoisted above his base at Prospect Hill. It had 13 alternating red and white stripes and the British Union Jack (no stars) in the upper left-hand corner. • May of 1776, Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag. • June 14, 1777,.
2). Bizarre Flag Facts – Q & As By : nan Test your Patriotic Knowlege of the American Flag: Question: Is it ok to fly the American Flag upside down? Answer: The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property. Question: My flag was accidentally dropped and got dirty. Does it have to be destroyed? Answer: The flag should never be allowed touch the ground, the floor or water.
3). Dauphin Island and the History of North America’s Colonization in Miniature By : dave4 Dauphin Island, Alabama is a barrier island at the Mouth of Mobile Bay. It is a tourist attraction, the home of around 1,200 people, the site of the Estuarium marine sciences laboratory and a164-acre Audubon Bird Sanctuary. It’s a pleasant, pretty and useful place that receives most of its income from tourism. On the face of it one could hardly guess that Dauphin Island bore the name “Massacre Island” for 8 years, or that it was occupied by every major European power in American history at one time or another.
4). Indian Legends and Victorian Bath Houses: The History of Eureka Springs By : dave4 Today the Arkansas resort town of Eureka Springs is a quaint, faux-Victorian tourist trap with an abundance of Bible-themed attractions. But the knickknack shops and family-friendly dinner theaters are really a natural outgrowth of a long history as a “vacation” destination reaching back to the Native Americans. Eureka Springs has, unsurprisingly, several naturally occurring, mineral-rich springs, which have long been thought to be possessed of healing powers.
5). Kiwi Invader New Zealand Mud Snails Endanger Yellowstone National Park By : dave4 What, you may well ask, do 13 foot-tall New Zealand birds that have been extinct for 500 years and modern Wyoming trout species have in common? And what, you may also ask, since you’re in the asking mood, do snails have to do with any of it? Well, the answer is “quite a lot, really”. It’s a bit complicated, but bear with me. In something like the year 1500 C.
6). In the footsteps of D Company 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry D-Day, 6 June 1944 By : Ian R Gumm On the 6 June 1944 the greatest seaborne invasion the world has ever known took place on the Calvados Coast of Normandy, France. This invasion was the beginning of the end of the Second World War and the 6 June 1944 will be forever known as D-Day. This article is an account of the first action that took place on D-Day at the Caen Canal and River Orne Bridges near Bénouville, France.
7). ERP Products Overview By : Exforsys This article is intended for beginners to give basic idea about ERP Products and how it’s being used in industry applications. Please visit Product home page for updated information and any changes to the features. Oracle E- Business Suite Oracle E-Business Suite is the industry's only complete and integrated set of enterprise applications, working together seamlessly to streamline every area of your business—from sales, service, and marketing, through financials and human resources, to supply chain and manufacturing.
8). Why Do We Celebrate The 4th Of July? By : Nicola Kennedy The 4th of July has been an important holiday but today, more and more people do not know why we actually celebrate this day. If you are not up to date on your history of the United States, July 4th, 1776 is the day that the colonies decided to declare themselves independent of Britain. By writing a very detailed decree, they decided that they no longer would need to be governed by the Kings of England that had been so very unjust to the colonists in the years before.
9). Did Colorado Kill Doc Holliday By : dave4 John Henry “Doc” Holliday’s final words, spoken as he lay dying in the Hotel Glenwood in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, were “this is funny”. We’ll never know, of course, exactly what the Wild West legend meant by this. Perhaps he found it ironic that after a life spent tempting death in the gambling dens of the American frontier, it was at last his 15-year long battle with tuberculosis that had killed him.
10). The North Cyprus Palace at Vouni By : Jan Korfanty On this mountain in North Cyprus, overlooking the village of Vouni below, stands a palace. As you look at the fragmentary walls, let your guide be a figure from 483 B.C., when Persia and Greece fought to dominate the island. Cyprus is divided into several small kingdoms. Your guide is Himilcar, elder statesman and advisor to Doxandros, King of Marion.