TORRINGTON – Labor Day is a holiday observed on the first Monday of September. It is an annual celebration of the American worker’s social and economic achievements. 

For some, the holiday marks the beginning of another school year for children. Many use it as an opportunity to spend the last bit of the summer outside with friends and family. However, it actually has much more of a historical significance. 

“The holiday is rooted in the late 19th century when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being,” the Department of Labor explained. 

New York was the first state to pass and introduce a bill on the matter, but Oregon passed the law first. By 1894, 32 states recognized Labor Day as a holiday. Congress passed an act the same year making Labor Day a legal holiday. 

It has not been confirmed which of the two workers originally proposed Labor Day as a holiday, research indicated. 

Peter J. McGuire was a general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor. It is thought he suggested a holiday for laborers in 1882.

It is also suggested Matthew Maguire was the original founder. Matthew Maguire was serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. He would later become the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey. It is also suggested he recommended the idea in 1882. This is why the original suggestion is unknown. 

Despite this, both men went to the country’s first Labor Day parade in New York. 

The same year as proposed, the United States celebrated its first Labor Day. 

It was originally suggested Labor Day should be celebrated with parades and parties, followed by a festival for workers and their families. It is meant to be a day off work for relaxation and fun. Many Americans still celebrate in this way almost 142 years later. 

Later on, speeches made by prominent people were adopted. This occurred because of the development of the economic and civic importance of the holiday. As time passed, the holiday developed. The Sunday before became Labor Sunday. This was made to celebrate the spiritual and educational parts of the labor movement. 

“American labor has raised the nation’s standard of living and contributed to the greatest production the world has ever known and 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,” the Department of Labor explained.

Labor Day was created by the American worker, for the American worker. 

“Many of us work. we don’t need a holiday to remind us what work is and the difficulties and rewards that come with it. But through the course of a typical year, we don’t often get the opportunity to reflect on why we do our jobs the way we do, where our current workers’ rights came from, and the price that many people paid to secure those rights for us today. And that’s well worth remembering,” the University of Boulder Colorado explained. 

Labor Day was created to keep in mind how far we came and how we did it as a country. Although it was made to celebrate, it was also created to honor the workers who came before us and built the country we stand we get to live in today. 

Many wonder why it is called Labor Day rather than worker’s day. This is due to the pre-existing holiday, May Day. Only the U.S. and Canada celebrate Labor Day. The majority of the United States is what they call Workers’ Day on May 1.

 The United States uses the day in a different manner, rather than celebrating workers, it is more specifically geared toward labor rights and the hardships and protests previous workers experienced. It stems from the Haymarket Affair in Chicago. It was violent and many deaths were involved. The United States is less keen on celebrating this holiday because government officials were not comfortable celebrating the workers who were killed. 

 Although similar, one is more for celebration and the other is more for commemoration. This is why May Day is not federally observed in the United States. 

Many still believe it is still important we remember both parts of the holidays. 

“One reason is that we take much of it for granted, not just in the way of employment and labor rights but our entire legal system and the legacies of labor and conflict. So many of our country’s institutional structures, culture, and political legacies have to do with labor and the labor movement. America is a country of workers built by workers. That includes everything we see around us and also the things we often don’t think about, such as our legal system and the rights we have today,” the University of Colorado Boulder stated. 

Using the holiday to become better educated on the past and present of workers’ rights is a great way to celebrate the holiday, research explained. It is important to have an understanding of where we came from to better see where we still have yet to go. 

The majority of offices in Goshen County, including the Telegram, will be closed on Monday, September 2, to observe this holiday.