“The History of Labor Day" at the Rock Island Public Library Downtown Branch -- August 25.
Monday, August 25, 2 p.m.
Rock Island Public Library Downtown Branch, 401 19th Street, Rock Island IL
Providing a tour of some of the original sites for the Industrial Revolution in the early days of America, as well as a history of why we celebrate the holiday, the video and lecture program The History of Labor Day will be presented at the Rock Island Public Library's Downtown Branch on August 25, with host Dave Stotts of Drive Thru History delivering an engaging and informative look at our collective U.S. past.
Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, diverse groups of trade unionists chose a variety of days on which to celebrate labor. In the United States, a September holiday called Labor Day was first proposed in the early 1880s. Alternative accounts of the event's origin exist, and descendants of two men with similar last names claim their great-grandfather was the true father of the holiday.
According to one early history of Labor Day, the event originated in connection with a General Assembly of the Knights of Labor convened in New York City in September 1882. In connection with this clandestine Knights assembly, a public parade of various labor organizations was held on September 5 under the auspices of the Central Labor Union (CLU) of New York. Secretary of the CLU Matthew Maguire is credited for first proposing that a national Labor Day holiday subsequently be held on the first Monday of each September in the aftermath of this successful public demonstration.
An alternative theory maintains that the idea of Labor Day was the brainchild of Peter J. McGuire, a vice president of the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, which was a predecessor of the American Federation of Labor. After a visit to Toronto where he saw parades celebrating labor that May, had put forward the initial proposal in the spring of 1882. According to McGuire, on May 8, 1882, he made a proposition to the fledgling Central Labor Union in New York City that a day be set aside for a "general holiday for the laboring classes". According to McGuire he further recommended that the event should begin with a street parade as a public demonstration of organized labor's solidarity and strength, with the march followed by a picnic, to which participating local unions could sell tickets as a fundraiser. McGuire additionally stated that he suggested the first Monday in September as an ideal date for such a public celebration, owing to optimum weather and the date's place on the calendar, sitting midway between the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving public holidays.
The History of Labor Day will be presented in downtown Rock Island by Dave Sotts of Drive Thru History, participation in the hour-long 2 p.m. program is free, and more information is available by calling (309)732-7323 and visiting RockIslandLibrary.org.
