A Celebration Of Labor
Labor Day, celebrated on the first Monday of each September, recognizes the American labor movement and the social and economic victories of the nation's workforce.
The first Labor Day parade, a gathering of more than 10,000 workers, took place in 1882 in New York City. By 1894, more than 20 states had recognized the day as an official holiday.
The official founder of Labor Day is debatable. Experts question whether Peter McGuire, a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, or machinist Matthew Maguire, first developed the idea for the holiday.