In the late 19th Century, as trade union and labor movements grew, different groups of trade unionists chose a variety of days on which to celebrate labor. In the US, a September holiday called Labor Day was first proposed in the early 1880s. There are different theories on how it originated. Secretary of the Central Labor Union of New York Matthew Maguire is said to have proposed a national Labor Day holiday on the first Monday of each September, or alternatively, it was the brainchild of Peter J. McGuire, a vice president of the American Federation of Labor, who suggested the date because it sat midway between the 4th of July and Thanksgiving.
The popularity of the event spread across the country. In 1887, Oregon became the first state to make it an official public holiday, and 7 years later a further 29 states had done so too. In that year, Congress passed a bill recognising the first Monday of September as Labor Day and making it an official federal holiday. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law on 28th June. The federal law, however only made it a holiday for federal workers, so Unions encouraged other workers to strike to get the day off, so all U.S. states made it a statutory holiday.
It unofficially marks the end of Summer because it marks the end of the cultural Summer season. Many take their two week vacations during the two weeks ending the Labor Day weekend. Many activities like school and sport begin around this time. It has also become an important weekend for shops to offer discounts and allowances, especially for back to school.
Holidays & Special Events 