The joyful Labor Day parades seen in black and white images are reminiscent of the early celebrations of a holiday that began to honor workers, but also to highlight the labor demands of the time.
Black and white images kept in the Library of Congress show the first Labor Day celebrations in different cities in the then-booming economy of the North American country, which was making its way into the world.
The United States Congress instituted the celebration as a federal holiday for each first Monday in September beginning June 28, 1894.
According to Department of Labor records, the first parade on the date was held in New York City on Tuesday, September 5, 1882. About 10 years later, 23 states in the Union were already celebrating the date.
The trade union movement has always been behind labour demands, and the emergence of that first celebration would not have been possible without the intervention of the organised labour sector, according to historical research by the Department of Labour.
Who came up with the idea of the celebration?
Investigators have yet to come to a conclusion about who was behind the first demonstration to celebrate the date in the streets of New York with a parade and posters to highlight the role of workers.
Some investigations had suggested that the event, which quickly gained momentum at a national level, was the work of union leader Peter J. McGuire, who served as general secretary of the New York Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, in addition to being the co-founder of the American Federation of Labor.
This activist had suggested setting aside one day a year as a “general holiday for the working classes” in honour of those “who, by rough nature, have dug and carved all the greatness we behold.”
However, the authorship of the first event is also attributed to Matthew Maguire, who proposed developing the festival in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.
Maguire would later assume leadership of the powerful International Association of Machinists Local 344 union in Paterson, New Jersey.
Women and labor demands
Women and minorities also shaped their participation in the commemoration of workers, demanding better conditions; such as the struggles for equal rights, which extended throughout the 20th century, and have transcended issues such as wage equity into the 21st century.
Historical images show white and African-American women on floats with signs demanding rights, as well as in street parades during those Labor Day holidays of yesteryear.
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