Labor Day Origins

What is September without the famed Labor Day? Bringing rest and comfort to the working class of America it stands as the pinnacle of worker rights.

Barbecuing, snoozing in a hammock, or playing a game of football are all common sights to see every first weekend in September. But where did this day of rest come from? Back in the day of muckrakers and unions, a day of rest besides the sabbath was a very strange idea, as people were forced to spend long shifts in dark hazardous factories.  Minimum wage was in its infancy and the big industrialists laughed at their workers’ pleas for a higher standard of living.

It’s thought that Peter J. McGuire may have been the one to think up the idea as he was the cofounder of the American Federation of Labor. But the more likely founder of Labor Day was Matthew Maguire who was a secretary of the Central labor Union. He supposedly proposed the idea then the CLU started Parades and marches in support of the notion.

Wherever the idea came from it is known that President Cleveland declared it a national holiday in 1894. So every Labor day in September rest a little easier knowing the history of this day and what its purpose is: to give you a break.

But in other countries where there are less civil liberties a labor day is not an option. In China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and many more countries there are little to no laws concerning worker welfare. People are forced to slave away for a minimal existence with no sign of relief and their health is in a state of disrepair. We as Americans have a duty to spring human rights on repressive governments like a bear trap. Because FREEDOM (eagle cry in the Background).

Picture Credit: NBOA Marine Insurance