Today, I caught myself wondering to myself, "why do we celebrate Labor Day?"
Wikipedia tells us this:
"Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September (September 5 in 2011) that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers."
And here is a little history as to how it came to be:
"The first big Labor Day in the United States was observed on September 5, 1882, by the Central Labor Union of New York.[1] It was first proposed by Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Laborin May 1882,[2] after witnessing the annual labor festival held in Toronto, Canada.[3]
Oregon was the first state to make it a holiday in 1887. By the time it became a federal holiday in 1894, thirty states officially celebrated Labor Day.[2]. Following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland reconciled with the labor movement. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congressunanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike."
Oregon was the first state to make it a holiday in 1887. By the time it became a federal holiday in 1894, thirty states officially celebrated Labor Day.[2]. Following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland reconciled with the labor movement. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congressunanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike."
I spent my Labor Day with my fam, and I'm surprised at what we were able to cram in:
breakfast of waffles and bacon, skiing on Deer Creek, swimming at the pool, watching the US Open, lunch on the go, a motorcycle ride up to Guardsman's Pass (very pretty this time of year), 9 holes of golf at the Wasatch Mountain Golf Course, then homemade pizza before coming home to my singles ward Family Home Evening. You just can't argue with free donuts. And now, it's time for all of us to admit to ourselves the truth of this last excerpt from Wiki:
"Labor Day has come to be celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. In high society, Labor Day is (or was) considered the last day of the year when it is fashionable for women to wear white."[
Happy End of Summer, folks. I am not returning to school this year, which is weird, but it feels like summer is ending just the same. I'm pretty excited for football season though - I hope my Cougs have a good first year playing independent!
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