Probably the unofficial end of summer, sales, and family barbecues come to mind when you think of Labor Day.
The extended weekend gives most Americans a much-needed chance to catch up with friends and family and offers a final celebration before the beginning of fall.
The holiday on Monday, however, has a deeper significance that dates back to the struggle for just working conditions in the 19th century. Initially, the purpose of Labor Day was to celebrate the contributions of workers to the American organized labor movement.
When did labor day start?
According to the US Department of Labor, Labor Day was first observed informally by labor activists and particular states in the late 1800s. Although Oregon was the first state to codify Labor Day into law in 1887, New York was the first state to introduce a measure recognizing the holiday. By the end of 1887, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York had adopted a similar strategy.
According to labor historian Joshua Freeman, emeritus professor at the City University of New York, the holiday came into being as unions were starting to regain momentum following the 1870s slump.
According to Freeman, two occurrences that occurred in New York City coincided to create Labor Day. In order to serve as an “umbrella body” for unions from various trades and racial groupings, the now-defunct Central Labor Union was first established. In addition, the city hosted a meeting of the Knights of Labor, the then-largest national labor convention, replete with a sizable parade. However, because the parade was on a Tuesday at the beginning of September, many employees were unable to go.
The conference was a big success, and from the beginning of September, unions all over the country began hosting their own labor holidays, typically on the first Monday of the month.
The first day of September was declared a legal holiday known as Labor Day by Congress only on June 28, 1894.
According to Freeman, President Grover Cleveland dispatched the military to put an end to the Pullman railway strike earlier that year. In a “gesture towards organized labor,” according to Freeman, Cleveland pushed through legislation to mark Labor Day just a few days after the strike ended.
What Labor Day signifies
During the time that Labor Day was established, unions were battling for “very particular enhancements in their working conditions,” according to Freeman. The eight-hour workday that most workers now experience was fiercely fought for by workers. As well as giving the nation a chance to recognize the contributions employees make to society, Labor Day provided them with a chance to get together and talk about their priorities.
The Labor Day celebration, however, also had a more radical political undercurrent, according to Freeman. He claimed that the Knights of Labor were investigating the notion that “the industrial or capitalist system was fundamentally exploitative.” It introduced various forms of inequality, not simply in terms of wealth but also in terms of power. Therefore, they favored giving workers more societal influence.
“When Labor Day first started, there were many voices that were fundamentally difficult with this new system,” Freeman continued. In opposition to the “capitalist wage system,” labor leaders at the time promoted socialism or collective control of enterprises.
Labor Day’s evolution
The extreme politics surrounding Labor Day have become more moderate over time. May Day, observed on May 1, is a global holiday honoring workers. Its roots can be found in the late 19th century and the struggle for the eight-hour workday. Freeman claims that Americans long ago observed both May Day & Labor Day.
But over time, Labor Day came to be viewed as the “moderate” celebration, as opposed to May Day, which was first instituted by the Marxist International Socialist Congress.
Calls for changing American culture essentially stopped with the turn of the 20th century, according to Freeman. “It became less specifically associated with unions as more and more businesses started to give all of their workers the day off.”
Labor Day celebrations briefly returned after World War II, particularly in Detroit and New York City. However, they had once more tapered off by the 1960s and 1970s.
Most people, according to Freeman, “just think about it as the end of the summer vacation.” It doesn’t really have a strong connection to its beginnings.
After Labor Day, can you wear white?
Maybe you’ve heard the old saying that white clothing is off-limits after Labor Day.
There aren’t any fashion police watching to see if you wear a white shirt in September, so don’t worry. Furthermore, the concept’s origins are actually somewhat problematic.
According to Valerie Steele, a fashion historian and the head of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the rule was one of many 19th-century fashion norms that were designed to separate the upper and middle classes.
In order for more upper-class people to be able to say, “Yes, but you’re doing it wrong,” there had to be more standards as “more and more sort of ordinary individuals,” either middle-class or lower-middle class, were able to have adequate funds to try to dress stylishly, according to Steele, who spoke to CNN.
Only a select handful could afford the privilege of white summer holidays. After a summer of leisure for those in the upper classes, Steele claims that Labor Day symbolized their “reentry” into city life & the retirement of their white summer clothing.
Steele claims that during the 1970s, the arbitrary rule all but vanished. The “Youthquake” of the 1960s gave young people the opportunity to question outdated stylistic conventions, such as the Labor Day restriction.
According to Steele, it was a component of a much larger anti-fashion movement.