The History of Labor Day — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00[Music]
2. 0:01labor day is a day for honoring
3. 0:03america's workers and celebrating their
4. 0:05contributions to everything we cherish
5. 0:08about our country
6. 0:10the holiday is rooted in the vibrant
7. 0:12labor movement of the late 19th century
8. 0:14when labor activists pushed for a
9. 0:16federal holiday to recognize how
10. 0:18ordinary workers from coast to coast
11. 0:21built america's strength prosperity and
12. 0:24well-being
13. 0:26in the beginning labor activists called
14. 0:28for wider recognition of parades picnics
15. 0:32and speeches
16. 0:34the first recorded celebration of this
17. 0:35kind took place on september 5th 1882 in
18. 0:39new york city
19. 0:41the central labor union organized a day
20. 0:43of street parades picnics and parties to
21. 0:46exhibit the strength and camaraderie of
22. 0:48the trade and labor organizations in the
23. 0:50community
24. 0:51thousands marched from city hall all the
25. 0:54way to 42nd street
26. 0:56the practice spread quickly across the
27. 0:58nation
28. 0:59in 1887 only five years later
29. 1:02oregon became the first u.s state to
30. 1:04make labor day an official public
31. 1:06holiday
32. 1:07by 1894 30 states were officially
33. 1:10celebrating labor day
34. 1:12congress acted to make labor day a
35. 1:14federal holiday to be celebrated the
36. 1:16first monday in september and on june 28
37. 1:191894 president grover cleveland signed
38. 1:23the bill into
39. 1:24law though the law only made labor day
40. 1:27an official holiday for federal workers
41. 1:30over time the holiday spread to all 50
42. 1:32states the district of columbia and u.s
43. 1:35territories
44. 1:36and it now applies to all state and
45. 1:38local government employees
46. 1:40private employers generally recognize
47. 1:42the day as a holiday too
48. 1:45working people are the backbone of our
49. 1:47country and keep our economy moving
50. 1:51it's the us department of labor's great
51. 1:53privilege to carry on the spirit of
52. 1:55those 19th century laborers who created
53. 1:58labor day by celebrating and lifting up
54. 2:01the contributions and importance of
55. 2:04america's workers
56. 2:06for more information visit dol.gov
57. 2:10laborday
58. 2:14[Music]