Labor Day to share

The first Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1892 in New York City.

Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, is said

to be the founder of Labor Day. However others point to Matthew McGuire, a machinist

from Patterson, New Jersey. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor

Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic in 1882 and 1883.

President Grover Cleveland introduced a bill to congress making Labor Day a national

holiday in 1884. It was unanimously passed and signed into law in an attempt to quell

harsh feelings after the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the US military and

US Marshals during the 1894 Pullman Strike.

Today Labor Day is symbolic of the end of summer, and often celebrated with festivals,

parades and rest. It also signals the beginning of the NCAA college football season.

However, for many it remains a national tribute to the American worker who made this

nation what it is today.

Hope you have enjoyed a bit of HISTORY.

Enjoy your week-end...