History of Labor Day - Drive Thru History (Video)
September 05, 2022
Make sure to watch Dave from Drive Thru History in the video below...
At the time the United States was founded, most people were farmers or worked in trades, such as bakers, butchers, cobblers, and blacksmiths. Then, the Industrial Revolution began in the late 18th century.
Randall Niles ~ Drive Thru History®
Coal mines kept filling up with water, so, Scottish inventor James Watt came up with an invention to pump the water out — a steam pump.
By the early 19th century, steam wasn’t just used to power pumps, but also engines for steam trains, steamboats, and manufacturing equipment. This led to the creation of factories, which could mass produce a variety of items inexpensively. After the American Civil War, factories in the North really took off. They started producing everything from clothes to dishes – furniture to tools. Inventions and advances in manufacturing made more and more goods available at cheaper and cheaper prices.
New ways of making stronger iron and steel led to the building of bridges, skyscrapers, ships, and machinery. Railroads began taking people and goods across the entire nation, opening new regions and opportunities. All of this resulted in Americans experiencing the fastest increase in the standard of living of any people in world history. Factories had a continual source of workers from the millions of immigrants making their way to America. Immigrants were anxious to assimilate, work in the trades, learn the English language, and swear allegiance to their new country. “Rags-to-riches” stories became a popular literary genre, where hard work, honesty, and strength through adversity led to success.
President Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty in 1886 to welcome newcomers. Immigrants were not a financial burden on the government, as there were no government welfare programs yet. Extended family members, churches, and individuals giving charity, provided the welfare net. With all the growth, there were issues of safety and fairness in some of the factories, so laborers began organizing for better working conditions. Since some of the immigrants brought socialist and anarchist ideas from Europe, this created additional labor tensions in some of America’s cities.
In May of 1886, a labor protest in Chicago near the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company plant turned into the Haymarket Riot, when a protester threw a stick of dynamite at the police. Seven police officers and four laborers were killed, and dozens were wounded, as a result of the blast and following riot. To commemorate the incident, labor organizers chose May 1st to be an annual “International Workers Day.”
In 1894, labor leaders organized a nationwide railroad workers strike. There was rioting and the burning of railroad cars, destroying an estimated 80 million dollars-worth of property across 27 states. After the railroad strike started affecting mail delivery, President Grover Cleveland declared it a federal crime and deployed 12,000 U.S. Army troops to break up the strike. A few people died and a number went to jail.
As a result of these types of labor tensions, President Grover Cleveland thought it might improve his chances of getting re-elected in 1894 if he appeased these organized workers with a national “Labor Day.” He intentionally did not choose May 1st, as it was the anniversary of the bloody Haymarket Riot and the “International Workers Day.” Instead, President Cleveland chose the “first Monday in September.”