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Western History Photos

(click on a photo for more information or to order a print)

Speakers at the Ludlow Strike Crowd at 15th Street

Women's March Ouray Teamsters and Packers Union

To search for more Western History photos, click here.

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Books and Movies

Books for Adults: State of the Union: A Century of American Labor by Nelson Lichtenstein Three Strikes: Miners, Musicians, Salesgirls, and the Fighting Spirit of Labor's Last Century by Howard Zinn, Dana Frank, and Robin D.G. Kelley From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend: A Short, Illustrated History of Labor in the United States by Priscilla Murolo and A.B. Chitty Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America by Elliott J. Gorn Black Workers Remember: An Oral History of Segregation, Unionism, and the Freedom Struggle by Michael Keith Honey Blood Sweat and Tears: The Evolution of Work by Richard Donkin Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs at the Turn of the Millennium edited by John Bowe, Marisa Bowe & Sabin Streeter Labor Day: A Corporate Nightmare by Floyd Kemske Empire Falls by Richard Russo Sea Glass: A Novel by Anita Shreve

Books for Kids: Kids on Strike! by Susan Campbell Bartoletti What Will I Be? by Wendy Lewison Mommy Works, Daddy Works by Marika Pederson and Mikele Hall Jobs People Do by Christopher Maynard Jobs for Kids: A Smart Kid's Q & A Guide by Jeanne Kiefer Labor Day by Mir Tamim Ansary   Movies: On the Waterfront Norma Rae Matewan The Pajama Game Salt of the Earth Hoffa Freedom: A History of US (series)

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Links

Labor Hall of Fame Labor Day Food Ideas

Union Songs Women's Labor History

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History

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Read more history at the U.S. Department of Labor Web site.

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Updated: January 08, 2008