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Labor Day is observed as
a legal holiday on the
first Monday in
September throughout the
United States.
Labor Day is a
holiday honoring the
working people. Labor
organizations sponsor
various celebrations,
but for most people it
is a day of rest and
recreation. For most
Americans it marks the
unofficial end of
summer vacation
season and the start of
the school year. Many
people celebrate with
parades, barbeques,
picnics, or a trip to
the beach.
Two men have been
credited with suggesting
a holiday to honor
working people in the
United States - Matthew
Maguire, a machinist
from Paterson, N.J., and
Peter McGuire, a New
York City carpenter who
helped found the United
Brotherhood of
Carpenters and Joiners.
Both men played an
important part in
staging the first Labor
Day parade in New York
City on September 5,
1882.
In 1887, Colorado and
Oregon made Labor Day a
legal holiday. Oregon
was the first to pass it
on February 21, 1887. It
was first proposed as "a
street parade to exhibit
to the public the
strength and esprit de
corps of the trade and
labor organizations."
President Grover
Cleveland signed a bill
in 1894 making Labor Day
a national holiday.
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