Why Do We Celebrate Labor Day? I Finally Looked It Up

As a kid, I was always confused about why Labor Day was at the end of the summer when we had just had an entire summer off. My laboring was just starting with the start of a new school year! What a horrible time to place this holiday. Why don’t they just switch Labor Day and Memorial Day?

Randomly, I never once thought to look up why the holiday was created. It is also sad that in all my years of schooling, the history of Labor Day was never really taught. Thank you, American education system.

After school, I started in on a long line of jobs that did not allow for holidays to be taken off. It is just weird that life continues even on holidays. People still need care even on the days that other occupations get off.

I love that Labor Day is a holiday that is not based on Christian history. I also love that we are still looking at our history and finding new ways to celebrate our creation as a people and a nation. I love that Juneteenth is a newer federal holiday and that we are continuing to learn how to celebrate and recognize all the people who make up our country.

Why Do We Celebrate Labor Day?

Labor Day started in the late 1800s. Who knew?

The first Labor Day celebration happened in New York City on September 5, 1882, when thousands of workers marched through the city. It wasn't a federal holiday yet—that wouldn't happen until 1894.

Labor Day grew out of the labor movement and workers organizing, protesting, and marching for something better. During this time, many laborers were working extremely long hours, often in dirty and unsafe conditions. Child labor was common, workplace protections were limited, and workers could be injured on the job with very little protection or support. On top of all that, wages were often not enough for people to live comfortably.

So, workers fought back.

And it worked.

Not all at once, of course. One march didn't magically fix working conditions across the country. Workers continued organizing and fighting for change, and over time that fight helped lead to many of the workplace protections we now take for granted.

Why Labor Day Matters to Me Now

Now that I know more about all of this, I know Labor Day is a holiday worth celebrating.

Sadly, we also have to keep fighting for rights over and over again. Looking into this day and its history has given me a new passion for labor rights and fighting to protect them. It has also given me more drive to keep fighting for what is important.

Lately, someone asked me: Why do the No Kings rallies?

This. This right here is why.

Because it can work.

Looking into our past proves it. Change doesn't just happen because people quietly hope things will get better. People organize. They speak up. They march. They demand something different. Sometimes it takes a very long time, but history is full of people who decided that what was happening around them wasn't acceptable anymore.

What is worth fighting for in your life?

What piece of history have you overlooked, only to learn about it later and realize it has an impact on your life today?

Keep learning and fighting!

Anne