Have you ever wondered about the history of Labor Day. It’s not just the unofficial “last day of summer.” It’s a day for the working class to take a much needed reprieve from their labors. According to the US Department of Labor,

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

The first Labor Day was celebrated in 1882 in New York City, and Grover Cleveland declared it a national holiday in 1894. There is a little bit of controversy over who first proposed that the working class needed a day off. However, despite the dispute over who coined the idea, Labor Day has typically been a day for union workers to acknowledged for their contributions to the nation.

I hope that all of you hard-working readers enjoy your day off today (assuming, of course, that you’re not in retail or the service industry, and that you actually get a day off).

For more info on the history of Labor Day, check out this piece on NPR, or this article over at Wikipedia.

Discover more from Queercents

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.