Labor Day Purpose and History

Labor Day Purpose and History Labor Day is a public holiday in the United States. Always observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day celebrates and honors the contribution of the American system of organized labor and workers to the prosperity and economic strength of the nation. The Monday of Labor Day along with the Saturday and Sunday preceding it is known as the Labor Day Weekend and is traditionally considered the end of summer. As a federal holiday, all but essential national, state, and local government offices are typically closed on Labor Day. Labor Day Key Takeaways Labor Day is a national holiday in the United States always observed on the first Monday in each September.Labor Day is observed to celebrate the contributions of organized labor and workers to the prosperity of the U.S. economy.The first Labor Day celebration was held on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, while Oregon was the first state to actually adopt a Labor Day law on February 2l, l887.The United States Congress declared Labor Day a federal holiday on June 28, 1894. Along with the day’s historical significance, Americans tend to consider Labor Day as marking the â€Å"unofficial end of summer.† Many people wrap their vacations around Labor Day in anticipation of fall activities, like the start of school and cool-weather sports. Labor Day is the day to â€Å"throw down your tools,† and eat too many hot dogs while thanking American workers for their collective contribution to the strength, prosperity, quality of life, cold beer, and great sales enjoyed across the nation. In every sense, the underlying meaning of Labor Day is different from that of any other yearly holiday. â€Å"All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of mans prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another,† said Samuel Gompers, founder of the American Federation of Labor. â€Å"Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation.† Not a Day Off for Everybody, by Far Of course, it should be noted that millions of hard-working Americans, like those in the retail and service industries, along with those in law enforcement, public safety, and health care observe Labor Day by working as usual. Perhaps they deserve the special appreciation of those of us who do get to spend the day eating the hot dogs and drinking the beers. Who Invented Labor Day? The Carpenters or the Machinists? More than 130 years after the first Labor Day was observed in 1882, there is still disagreement as to who first suggested the â€Å"national day off.† America’s carpenters and construction workers, along with some historians will tell you that it was Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, who first suggested a day to honor those â€Å"who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.† However, others believe that Matthew Maguire – no relation to Peter J. McGuire – a machinist who would later be elected secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey proposed Labor Day in 1882 while serving as secretary of New York’s Central Labor Union. Either way, history is clear that the first Labor Day observance was held in accordance with a plan developed by Matthew Maguire’s Central Labor Union. The First Labor Day The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883. As proposed by the Central Labor Union, the first Labor Day celebration was highlighted by a parade to show the public â€Å"the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations.† In 1884, the Labor Day observance was changed to the first Monday in September as originally proposed by the Central Labor Union. The union then urged other unions and trade organizations to begin holding a similar â€Å"workingmen’s holiday† on the same date. The idea caught on, and by 1885, Labor Day observances were being held in industrial centers nationwide. Not to Be Confused With International Workers’ Day In 1866, International Workers’ Day or â€Å"May First† was established an alternative holiday for the celebration of organized labor. Observed annually on May 1, the day was created by a resolution during the 1884 convention of the American Federation of Labor in Chicago. The date was chosen due to its proximity to the date of the bloody Chicago Haymarket Affair labor demonstration and bombing of May 4, 1886. Some labor unions of the day felt that International Workers’ Day was a more appropriate tribute to the struggles of their cause than Labor Day, which they considered a frivolous picnic-and-parade day. However, conservative Democratic President Grover Cleveland feared that a holiday to honor labor on May 1 would become a negative commemoration of the Haymarket Affair, rather than a positive celebration of how the nation benefited from labor. Today, the first day of May is still observed in many countries as â€Å"International Workers Day,† or more often as â€Å"Labour Day.† Labor Day Gains Government Recognition As with most things involving a potential day off, Labor Day became very popular very fast, and by 1885, several city governments have adopted ordinances calling for local observances. While New York was the first state legislature to propose official, statewide observance of Labor Day, Oregon was the first state to actually adopt a Labor Day law on February 2l, l887. The same year, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York also enacted Labor Day observance laws, and by 1894, 23 other states followed suit. Always looking for already popular ideas to get behind, the senators and representatives of the U.S. Congress took note of the growing Labor Day movement and June 28, 1894, passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories. How Labor Day Has Changed As massive displays and gatherings have become larger problems for public safety agencies, especially in large industrial centers, the character of Labor Day celebrations have changed. However, those changes, as noted by the U.S. Department of Labor, have been more of â€Å"a shift in emphasis and medium of expression.† Thanks mainly to television, the internet, and social media, Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are delivered directly into the homes, swimming pools, and BBQ pits of Americans nationwide. â€Å"The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy,† notes the Labor Department. â€Å"It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nations strength, freedom, and leadership- the American worker.†

Battle of Marathon in the Persian Wars

Battle of Marathon in the Persian Wars The Battle of Marathon was fought during the Persian Wars (498 BC–448 BC) between Greece and the Persian Empire. Date Using a proleptic Julian calendar, it is believed that the Battle of Marathon was fought on either August or September 12, 490 BC. Armies Commanders Greeks MilitiadesCallimachusArimnestusapprox. 8,000-10,000 men Persians DatisArtaphernes20,000-60,000 men Background In the wake of the Ionian Revolt (499 BC-494 BC), the emperor of the Persian Empire, Darius I, dispatched an army to Greece to punish those city-states that had aided the rebels. Led by Mardonius, this force succeeded in subjugating Thrace and Macedonia in 492 BC. Moving south towards Greece, Mardonius fleet was wrecked off Cape Athos during a massive storm. Losing 300 ships and 20,000 men in the disaster, Mardonius elected to withdraw back towards Asia. Displeased with Mardonius failure, Darius began planning a second expedition for 490 BC after learning of political instability in Athens. Conceived as a purely maritime enterprise, Darius assigned command of the expedition to the Median admiral Datis and the son of the satrap of Sardis, Artaphernes. Sailing with orders to attack Eretria and Athens, the fleet succeeded in sacking and burning their first objective. Moving south, the Persians landed near Marathon, approximately 25 miles north of Athens. Responding to the impending crisis, Athens raised around 9,000 hoplites and dispatched them to Marathon where they blocked the exits from the nearby plain and prevented the enemy from moving inland. They were joined by 1,000 Plataeans and assistance was requested from Sparta. Encamping on the edge of the Plain of Marathon, the Greeks faced a Persian force numbering between 20-60,000. Enveloping the Enemy For five days the armies squared off with little movement. For the Greeks, this inactivity was largely due to a fear of being attacked by the Persian cavalry as they crossed the plain. Finally, the Greek commander, Miltiades, elected to attack after receiving favorable omens. Some sources also indicate that Militiades had learned from Persian deserters that the cavalry was away from the field. Forming his men, Militiades reinforced his wings by weakening his center. This saw the center reduced to ranks four deep while the wings featured men eight deep. This may have been due to the Persians tendency to place inferior troops on their flanks. Moving a brisk pace, possibly a run, the Greeks advanced across the plain towards the Persian camp. Surprised by the Greeks audacity, the Persians rushed to form their lines and inflict damage on the enemy with their archers and slingers. As the armies clashed, the thinner Greek center was quickly pushed back. The historian Herodotus reports that their retreat was disciplined and organized. Pursuing the Greek center, the Persians quickly found themselves flanked on both sides by Militiades strengthened wings which had routed their opposite numbers. Having caught the enemy in a double envelopment, the Greeks began to inflict heavy casualties on the lightly armored Persians. As panic spread in the Persian ranks, their lines began to break and they fled back to their ships. Pursuing the enemy, the Greeks were slowed by their heavy armor, but still managed to capture seven Persian ships. Aftermath Casualties for the Battle of Marathon are generally listed as 203 Greek dead and 6,400 for the Persians. As with most battles from this period, these numbers are suspect. Defeated, the Persians departed from the area and sailed south to attack Athens directly.   Anticipating this, Militiades quickly returned the bulk of the army to the city. Seeing that the opportunity to strike the previously lightly-defended city had passed, the Persians withdrew back to Asia. The Battle of Marathon was the first major victory for the Greeks over the Persians and gave them confidence that they could be defeated. Ten years later the Persians returned and won a victory at Thermopylae before being defeated by the Greeks at Salamis. The Battle of Marathon also gave rise to the legend that the Athenian herald Pheidippides ran from the battlefield to Athens to announce the Greek victory before dropping dead. This legendary run is the basis for the modern track and field event. Herodotus contradicts this legend and states that Pheidippides ran from Athens to Sparta to seek aid before the battle. Selected Sources Battle of MarathonPersian Wars: Battle of Marathon