Labor Day is often associated with the end of summer. Kids are headed back to school, the days are getting shorter, and everyone is ready for a change in season. Autumn might not officially begin until September 22, but summer is over on the Tuesday after Labor Day.
But what is Labor Day? Why do we celebrate labor? There’s a fascinating and complicated story behind this holiday which provides much food for thought and family discussion.
History of Labor Day
Working conditions in the United States were quite poor during the Industrial Revolution. American workers worked long hours for low wages. Worker dissatisfaction led to the formation of labor unions, which organized strikes in opposition.
The strikes sometimes turned into violent riots, including the Haymarket Riot of 1886 where several people died. Tensions on both sides persisted for many years. The “first” Labor Day occurred on September 5, 1882, when “10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history.”
Over time, the public awareness campaign about workers’ concerns increased. The idea of celebrating the working man on the first Monday of September grew in popularity, and several states passed laws recognizing the holiday. In 1894, Congress declared Labor Day a national holiday.
So…who was right? The workers or the owners?
The classic answer is, it’s complicated—but I’ll venture to fairly identify the tension.
Have you ever been a part of a collaboration which turned sour? Think back to a group project during school. It is a common complaint that one or two people do all the work, but everyone receives the same grade. Or there’s one slacker who doesn’t complete his or her part of the project and brings everyone else down with them. Resentment and frustration inevitably follow.
There was a similar drama at play here. As the United States modernized and moved toward an industrial economy, tensions broke out between owners and laborers because both felt they were poorly used. One side provided financial backing for a venture while the other provided the labor to make that venture viable. It was essentially a collaboration, but often neither side saw it that way.
One of the best depictions of this complicated relationship is in Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel, North and South. The male hero, Mr. Thornton, is a thoughtful, Christian man with a deep moral conscience who tries to run an ethical mill. At the same time, he was able to pull his family out of poverty and so struggles to sympathize with his workers’ concerns. Gaskell’s portrayal of the owner and employee dynamic speaks to the complexity of the questions at hand—questions we still struggle with today.
“Who’s right?” is the wrong question to ask because it is too simplistic. Most moral quandaries, unfortunately, are not simple. They require consistent assessment and godly reflection.
Join the Conversation
Interested in this topic? I invite you to view the 2004 TV adaptation of North and South as a family this weekend. I personally find this to be an excellent miniseries. Although it takes place in England rather than America, it still serves as a good jumping off point for nuanced discussion. Parents may want to view the miniseries before their students to determine whether it fits with parental expectations and guidelines.
Happy Labor Day, everyone!
