Labor Day
Labor Day - Do you know how it came to be?
As the Labor Day holiday approached, I certainly understood that it was a holiday to commemorate the "laborers", but I didn't understand its origins. As with so many things, we just follow along with the crowd, so I decided to check into it.
While there is some dispute over who first proposed labor day as a holiday, the thought was conceived around 1882, and Oregon was the first state to declare it a holiday in 1887.
While many states had adopted this holiday, it was not made a Federal Holiday until 1894. The legislation was created following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of U.S. Military and US Marshals during the Pullman Strike. The US Congress voted to approve rush legislation that made Labor Day a national holiday.
Labor Day celebrations were generally celebrated with a street parade to exhibit the strenth, spirit and unity of the trade and labor organizations, followed by festivals for workers and their families. This was the pattern of most Labor Day celebrations, while speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later.
In 1909, the Sunday before Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday by a resolution of the Federal Labor Convention. The point of this day was the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.
The holiday has certainly evolved from the early political platform. It's original rally cry to embrace the unions and labor movement has evolved into a day of rest, BBQ's and camping. Speeches and politics are less prominent although it is still a popoular rally weekend for labor unions, and politicians.
Labor Day is now more likely to be seen as a last hurrah before the end of Summer and the beginning of school. This fact is evidenced by the high volume of travel as documented by Department of Transportation, and anyone who has ever tried to get anywhere on the Friday before, or the afternoon of Labor Day. A sea of cars, campers and trailers of every size, loaded to every possible configuration can be seen along the highway.
Labor Day has, and continues, to serve as a bench mark in the year. In decades past the "high society" determined that Labor Day was the last day in the year that you could wear white. Most people over 35 probably remember that, I know it was a standard that I was raised with. It also marks the start of the NFL and college football seasons, the start of a new school year, and of course, the Retail Sales Season. While the holiday shopping season is marked by the day after Thanksgiving, September is 'Back to School' time, and every advertisement from office supply to car dealerships are announcing their "Labor Day Sale". Consider it Pre-Season for shoppers.
Regardless of how you spent the holiday, whether you packed up your Subaru or hooked the trailer to your Ford. We hope you had a safe and wonderful holiday. Fall is just around the corner, and holidays will soon be upon us. Enjoy these dog days of Summer!
From all of us at the Bruce Titus Automotive Group, Happy Labor Day!
bld
As the Labor Day holiday approached, I certainly understood that it was a holiday to commemorate the "laborers", but I didn't understand its origins. As with so many things, we just follow along with the crowd, so I decided to check into it.
While there is some dispute over who first proposed labor day as a holiday, the thought was conceived around 1882, and Oregon was the first state to declare it a holiday in 1887.
While many states had adopted this holiday, it was not made a Federal Holiday until 1894. The legislation was created following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of U.S. Military and US Marshals during the Pullman Strike. The US Congress voted to approve rush legislation that made Labor Day a national holiday.
Labor Day celebrations were generally celebrated with a street parade to exhibit the strenth, spirit and unity of the trade and labor organizations, followed by festivals for workers and their families. This was the pattern of most Labor Day celebrations, while speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later.
In 1909, the Sunday before Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday by a resolution of the Federal Labor Convention. The point of this day was the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.
The holiday has certainly evolved from the early political platform. It's original rally cry to embrace the unions and labor movement has evolved into a day of rest, BBQ's and camping. Speeches and politics are less prominent although it is still a popoular rally weekend for labor unions, and politicians.
Labor Day is now more likely to be seen as a last hurrah before the end of Summer and the beginning of school. This fact is evidenced by the high volume of travel as documented by Department of Transportation, and anyone who has ever tried to get anywhere on the Friday before, or the afternoon of Labor Day. A sea of cars, campers and trailers of every size, loaded to every possible configuration can be seen along the highway.
Labor Day has, and continues, to serve as a bench mark in the year. In decades past the "high society" determined that Labor Day was the last day in the year that you could wear white. Most people over 35 probably remember that, I know it was a standard that I was raised with. It also marks the start of the NFL and college football seasons, the start of a new school year, and of course, the Retail Sales Season. While the holiday shopping season is marked by the day after Thanksgiving, September is 'Back to School' time, and every advertisement from office supply to car dealerships are announcing their "Labor Day Sale". Consider it Pre-Season for shoppers.
Regardless of how you spent the holiday, whether you packed up your Subaru or hooked the trailer to your Ford. We hope you had a safe and wonderful holiday. Fall is just around the corner, and holidays will soon be upon us. Enjoy these dog days of Summer!
From all of us at the Bruce Titus Automotive Group, Happy Labor Day!
bld
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