Labor Day in the USA (05/09)

On the first Monday of September, Labor Day is celebrated in the United States.

If in Russia Labor Day falls on the first of May, then in America this holiday is celebrated on the first Monday of September. One of the reasons for choosing such a date was the desire to create a holiday in the long time period between Independence Day and Thanksgiving Day.

The constitutional basis for Labor Day is already laid down in the Bill of Human Rights, which came into force in December 1791. The First Amendment, among other rights, guaranteed citizens freedom of assembly. It took almost a whole century for this right to be realized in the form of first regional and later national Labor Day.

In 1869, a union was formed in Philadelphia, called «Knights of Labor». By 1886, this organization had acquired a national scale, uniting 700 thousand members from all over the country. The new name of the organization was the Central Union of Labor (CST).

In America, this holiday was first celebrated in 1882. Its origins lie in the desire of the Central Trade Union to create a day off for workers. In 1884, Labor Day fell on the first Monday of September, which, in accordance with the resolution adopted by the CST, henceforth became a mandatory holiday date. It became a national holiday in 1894 by decision of US President Grover Cleveland.

It was originally intended that parades would be held on the streets on this day, with the aim of giving the people the opportunity to express their gratitude to the work of trade union and labor organizations.

A Labor Day brochure from the US Department of Labor states: «This holiday was born out of the American labor movement. It has become national because the country considers it appropriate to honor annually with gratitude the contribution that American workers have made and continue to make to the power, wealth and prosperity that has become the property of our people».

Nowadays, Labor Day in the United States is the semi-official end of the summer season, an additional day off when most companies and almost all government agencies are closed. Many colleges and some schools in the United States begin the school year after Labor Day. On this day, Americans set up campsites throughout the country, organizing their favorite air barbecues.

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