What are the origins of Labor Day

Labor Day, celebrated in the United States and also in Canada (spelled Labour Day), have been held on the first Monday in September. The holiday originates in 1887, where in Oregon it was first celebrated. However, its roots are older and related to the wider international efforts by workers to celebrate a holiday. These worker movements were also affiliated with leftist political action, which has shaped the choosing of the date in the United States. The complex, often political history, of Labor Day has also shifted in recent periods.

Origins of Labor Day

The development of Labor Day developed through the history of the development of labor unions that arose as early as the late 18th century, particularly as factories and the industrial revolution began. With the rise and increasing growth of industrial development in the United States, labor unions increased in membership and, by extension, influence. This was not unique to the United States, as countries in Europe as began to have workers organize and at times begin to conduct strikes.

One major development in the the mid-19th century was the increasing demand for consumer products and infrastructure let to increasing demands on factories, leading to growth that was fueled by unregulated labor markets. The supply of labor was plentiful as populations expanded, but this also meant that child labor and very long hours (12 or more per day) were typical. Average workers, despite working often 7-day weeks for more than 10 hours per day, often barley made enough to feed their families and keep their homes. In the United States and elsewhere, the second half of the 19th century saw increasing labor strikes protesting wages and often conditions, where sweatshop-like conditions often existed.

May 1st was, from ancient origins, a festival day, often associated as a celebration for spring. This day was used by labor activists, socialists, and other labor proponents as a day to celebrate labor and its contribution to society. The events were also used as demonstrations against work conditions in factories. In Chicago, in 1886, May 1 was celebrated as a day calling for the 8 hour workday. On May 4, 1886, in Haymarket Chicago, an organized demonstration that turned violent occurred. A bomb was thrown into the crowd and, combined with subsequent gunfire by police, several police and demonstrates were killed. Interestingly, it was in Europe that saw this event as being influential to the International Workers Conference in 1889 that called for annual demonstrations on May 1st to commemorate the events of the Haymarket event. In 1891, May Day (May 1) became recognized as the official day to recognize labor.nIn the United States, the events of Haymarket was highly negative to the authorities, while also it made them wary of the increasing power of organized labor.

Developments in the Late 19th and early 20th Century

In the United States, celebrations in September 5th in celebrating labor had occurred by 1882. The American Federation of Labor and the Central Labor Union were two organizations that had advocated for a day to celebrate labor. Canada in the 1880s had also developed organized celebrations of labor. Trade unions in the United States had proposed a September date for a holiday throughout the 1880s. However, there was widespread disagreement, as many larger organizations, which wanted to link themselves with their colleagues in Europe, wanted to celebrate May 1 as Labor Day, holding events of remembering labor and to demonstrate against conditions. In 1887, Oregon became the first state to celebrate Labor Day.

Throughout the 1890s, a national movement to commemorate labor developed. The Pullman Strike in 1894 occurred due to reduction in pay for workers as well as high costs associated with the Pullman rail company housing provided to the them at a cost. The Pullman Company controlled much of the freight rail at the time and had vast power but also became critical to the operations of the larger economy of the United States. A strike was seen as threatening the US wider economy, leading to the government sending federal troops to breakup the protests after the protesters refused a court order to disband. This attempt at breaking the strike led to riots and violence, which eventually did lead to the collapse of the strikes but also many deaths. In effect, the governments actions were effective but politically costly for then President Grover Cleveland.

The cost to the government was widespread discontent with how the strike was put down. Cleveland, along with Congress, proposed having a federal holiday to celebrate labor to gain some political support he may have lost, particularly from some of the trade unions. However, one stipulation for Cleveland was the date of the celebration be in September, that is the first Monday in September, as he wanted to avoid celebrating in May due to the events of Haymarket. Cleveland did not want the Haymarket events remembered and become a rallying cry for further demonstrations, strikes or even political turmoil. Additionally, already the US government began to be wary of political movements sponsored by labor movements and what were socialist organizations. In effect, it was a holiday that put the US in similar footing to what happened elsewhere but with a specific avoidance of a day that the US government feared could become a rallying cry for other riots or even political action.

As Labor Day became an official US holiday in 1894, much did not change from earlier celebrations of Labor Day at state and other levels. Parades were held commemorating labor and calls were made for better working conditions and fair wages. However, by the early 20th century, prosperity returned to many areas in the United States. Worker conditions did gradually improve, creating alternative opportunities for celebrations. Fairs began to develop around the holiday weekend and more family-oriented events began to be organized by communities as leisure time increased for people.