Labor Day marches in
The upcoming holiday weekend symbolizes the end of another summer, but offers one last chance to take some time to take it easy before the busyness of the fall season catches up with us. Many will be heading to lakes, beaches, or family gatherings for the extra long weekend, while many stores will open with specials, but in the craziness of travel and business, the holiday’s initial purpose was to provide rest to those who labor.
The holiday was originally proposed around 1880 when the union movement was in full swing in the United States, with workers strikes and protests for better working conditions becoming more prevalent. There are two different people credited with the creation of the holiday. In 1882, Peter J. McGuire, the co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, suggested setting aside a day for the laboring class. The other theory is that in the same year, Matthew Maguire proposed the holiday while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. His organization, the Central Labor Union, went on to hold the first official Labor Day on September 5th, 1882.
Over the next twelve years, 23 more states joined New York in recognizing labor day until June 28th, 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday. One of the earliest traditions that went along with Labor Day was the parade. The parade aimed to illustrate the importance and large foundation that the laborers of America built, and was a central element of the first parade back in the 1880s. The parades featured workers such
as bricklayers and clothes makers walking in support of better working conditions.
For Hoosiers, Indianapolis first observed Labor Day on Sunday, September 19, 1886. IT originally was planned for that Monday, but the city couldn’t accommodate the festivities they had planned on a weekday, so they moved it to the weekend. Nearly 6,000 joined the parade that ended at the old Indiana State Fairgrounds. In 1887, the Indianapolis mayor, Caleb Denny, proclaimed the day an official holiday. It was adopted statewide in Indiana in 1891, before the rest of the country adopted it in 1894.
The impact of Labor Day was seen in the years following as worker conditions continued to improve throughout the United States. It is believed that the impact of Labor Day along with the union movement lead to the five day work week, minimum wage, and child labor laws. Whether it be rest or craziness, the holiday is for the enjoyment of those who work hard.