LABOR DAY

Monday, September 6,
Labor Day--celebrated by most as the symbolic end of the summer. Fashion wise, white articles of clothing were not to be worn after Labor Day. That seems to have changed over the years.
The first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City. It became a federal holiday in 1894 as the result of the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of U.S. Marshals and military personnel during a Pullman Strike. As a result, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with the labor movement as a top political priority. As a means of preventing further conflict, Congress hurriedly passed legislation to end the strike making Labor Day a national holiday.

The first celebration of Labor Day was outlined in a proposal for that event. A street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and spirit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" followed by a festival for the workers and families. That became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations. It also included speeches by prominent men and women as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civil significance of the holiday.

Later, by a resolution of the American Federal to Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

In U.S. sports, Labor Day marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons, with the opening games being played the week before Labor Day or just following the holiday.