Today in History: Labor Day

Labor Day in the United States is a day set aside each year to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions to society of American Labor. It is a federal holiday celebrated on the first Monday of September and marks the unofficial end of Summer. There are two primary theories regarding its origins. The first is that it was started by the Knights of Labor (the first national labor organization and originally one that kept its membership secret) in 1882 when they met clandestinely in New York and inspired the Central Labor Union to hold a parade honoring labor. The second theory is that it was created by Peter Maguire, Vice President of the American Federation of Labor, who insisted that he had proposed the celebration to the Central Labor Union in Spring 1882. In any event, it became a federal holiday in 1894.