In America, the first Monday in September is celebrated as Labor Day. It is one of the busiest weekends during the year with a high volume of people traveling for their end of the summer vacations. But why do we celebrate this holiday? During the height of the Industrial Revolution, many Americans, including children, faced unsafe work conditions, and worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week often without any breaks during shifts. In 1884, many workers began to strike to renegotiate pay, hours, and poor work conditions. Some of these strikes became riots. In Chicago, the Haymarket Riot resulted in the deaths of several workers and police officers. On September 5th 1882, 10,000 workers in New York took an unpaid leave, and marched from City Hall to the Union Square in New York creating the first Labor Day Parade. This celebration caught on around the country; however, it was not recognized as a holiday by Congress until the Pullman Railway Strike. This strike ensued railroad traffic nationwide. Congress decided to negotiate with the Pullman Railway Union by passing an Act that declared Labor Day as a holiday in its surrounding areas.
