The national holiday, which occurs Sept. 1 this year, celebrates the American worker
Riva Sharples | Editor
This weekend, many in the area will enjoy a three-day weekend, thanks to the national holiday Labor Day happening Monday, Sept. 1.
Many will enjoy end-of-the-season summer hurrahs or just extra family time this weekend. But what’s Labor Day all about, and where did it come from?
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Day is “an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers.” The holiday stems from the era of heavy industrialization in American history, the late 1800s, when activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.
Before it was a federal holiday, Labor Day was recognized by individual cities and states. The first major Labor Day celebration in a city was held on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City.
Soon after, a movement developed to secure state legislation. New York was the first state to introduce a bill, but Oregon was the first to pass a law recognizing Labor Day on February 21, 1887.
That same year, four more states – Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York – passed laws creating a Labor Day holiday. By the end of the decade, Connecticut, Nebraska and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday.
Finally, on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday to be celebrated in all 50 states, including South Dakota.
This year marks the 131st Labor Day that has been celebrated nationwide in the United States.
How Labor Day is Celebrated
Many Americans celebrate Labor Day with parades and parties. These festivities are very similar to those outlined by the first proposal for the national holiday, which suggested that the day should be observed with “a street parade to exhibit the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families.”
Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday.
Labor Day Today
Labor Day continues to be an important holiday to observe in the United States, according to the US Department of Labor.
“American labor has raised the nation’s standard of living and contributed to the greatest production the world has ever known,” say officials. “The labor movement has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership – the American worker.”