Ahhh...Labor Day, the last, long summer weekend before fall. We all come to look forward to this weekend...it gives most of us an extra long weekend...but...do you really know the history of this historic, triumphant holiday?
As the Industrial Revolution swept over our great nation, the average American worked 12-hour days, 7 days a week, back in the late 1800's. That much hard work only provided a basic living. This was a time in which child labor laws were not strictly enforced and children were even working, providing cheap labor to employers.
Because of these ridiculous hours and terrible working conditions, American unions rose up and became more prominent demanding a better way of life. Tuesday September 5, 1882, 10,000 American workers held the first ever Labor Day parade, they marched from city hall to Union Square in NYC. Those who participated took and unpaid day off to voice their issues with employers and honor American workers. As time went by, more states began to hold parades such as these, but Congress did not pass it as a legal holiday until 1894.
On May 11, 1894 Pullman Palace Car Co. workers in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. They looked to their union leader, Eugene V. Debs and on June 26, a boycott on all Pullman railway cars was issued by the American Railroad Union. Not even a week had passed before 50,000 workers complied and all traffic out of Chicago ceased. President Grover Cleveland dispatched troops to Chicago on July 4. The government's actions destroyed the strike and the boycott soon caved in, but only after much bloodshed and rebellion. Because they had disobeyed the injunction, Eugene Debs and three other union officials served jail time. Nonetheless, this strike brought workers rights to the public eye and Congress declared that the first Monday in September would be a holiday for the American workers, this is the day we now call Labor Day. How brave these men were and what an impact they made on our nation!
So as you celebrate this weekend and enjoy a nice day off of work, remember to also celebrate and appreciate the value and dignity of work and its role in our American way of life.
xoxo -
Kasey
p.s. the photo pictured is a girl in a Cherryville Mill, located in Cherryville, NC. taken by photographer Lewis Hine.
As the Industrial Revolution swept over our great nation, the average American worked 12-hour days, 7 days a week, back in the late 1800's. That much hard work only provided a basic living. This was a time in which child labor laws were not strictly enforced and children were even working, providing cheap labor to employers.
Because of these ridiculous hours and terrible working conditions, American unions rose up and became more prominent demanding a better way of life. Tuesday September 5, 1882, 10,000 American workers held the first ever Labor Day parade, they marched from city hall to Union Square in NYC. Those who participated took and unpaid day off to voice their issues with employers and honor American workers. As time went by, more states began to hold parades such as these, but Congress did not pass it as a legal holiday until 1894.
On May 11, 1894 Pullman Palace Car Co. workers in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. They looked to their union leader, Eugene V. Debs and on June 26, a boycott on all Pullman railway cars was issued by the American Railroad Union. Not even a week had passed before 50,000 workers complied and all traffic out of Chicago ceased. President Grover Cleveland dispatched troops to Chicago on July 4. The government's actions destroyed the strike and the boycott soon caved in, but only after much bloodshed and rebellion. Because they had disobeyed the injunction, Eugene Debs and three other union officials served jail time. Nonetheless, this strike brought workers rights to the public eye and Congress declared that the first Monday in September would be a holiday for the American workers, this is the day we now call Labor Day. How brave these men were and what an impact they made on our nation!
So as you celebrate this weekend and enjoy a nice day off of work, remember to also celebrate and appreciate the value and dignity of work and its role in our American way of life.
xoxo -
Kasey
p.s. the photo pictured is a girl in a Cherryville Mill, located in Cherryville, NC. taken by photographer Lewis Hine.
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