Did You Know?

A Labor Day Historical Deep Dive

Sep 01, 2024

This is Labor Day weekend - a time that unofficially marks the end of summer and the return to school for millions of families across the country. For so many Americans, this holiday, which falls on the first Monday of September, means a 3-day weekend, and a time to catch the last summer hooray before the warm weather and long daylight hours wane into autumn and then winter. For those in the political realm, Labor Day marks the beginning of the mad, 9-week dash to election day, which this year is November 5th. Those are the surface level meanings of this holiday. Do you know the true, historical meaning behind Labor Day? I fear too many Americans do not, and yet, it is a real testament to what it means to be American, and why we should do whatever we can to preserve this holiday, our history, and our future.

Let’s begin with this… did you know that Labor Day was made a national holiday, in part, to combat socialism?! First, a brief history of how Labor Day began… As with many things, the holiday originated at the local and state level, and then once it grew in popularity amongst several states, the federal government stepped in and anointed the day a national holiday. The idea of honoring workers and their contributions to society first originated here in New York almost 150 years ago when the Central Labor Union of New York hosted a parade on September 5, 1882, where approximately 10,000 workers took (unpaid I’m sure) time off of work to march in New York City. The parade was more to protest poor working conditions and low pay than to celebrate the workingman, but regardless, the idea spread, and within just a couple of years, multiple states were celebrating Labor Day. In 1887, several states (including New York) became the first states to codify the holiday into law. By the time the federal government made it a national holiday in 1894, almost half of the states had already declared Labor Day a holiday.

Our President at the time was Grover Cleveland (a Democrat), and he was facing strained relations with the labor movement. Remember, the end of the 19th century was the height of the industrial revolution in our country. More and more workers went from laboring in agriculture in the rural areas to working in factories in the urban areas, and most of the time those factory conditions were dingy and unsafe with insufficient fresh air, limited breaks, and unclean facilities. Workers found themselves toiling 12 hours a day, sometimes 7 days a week, for little pay. As a result, labor unions began to form, and they organized strikes and rallies to protest poor working conditions and to try to compel employers to renegotiate the workers’ hours and of course their pay. Some of the strikes turned violent, including the infamous Haymarket Riot of 1886 which resulted in several Chicago policemen and workers being killed. In 1894, President Cleveland signed the Labor Day holiday into law in the middle of the violent, nationwide Pullman Palace Car Company strike, which cost the lives of dozens of workers after President Cleveland dispatched 12,000 federal troops and U.S. marshals to break up the strike.

Wanting to quell the unrest and not wanting the laborers’ discontent to spur a socialist movement that would embrace the already in existence May Day celebrations, Congress and President Cleveland made Labor Day a federal holiday which would be celebrated the first Monday of September, nationwide.

So, we see how public opinion of a certain persuasion, particularly when accompanied by action which turns to violence, can control politicians and their thoughts and actions or inactions. In other words, the government (ie politicians and the bureaucrats that work under and with them) will respond when a critical mass of citizens show that they want something. This can work both ways, folks. Remember the riots of 2020 that BLM fueled over the death of a criminal, George Floyd? Because of tremendous funding by far left radicals, that BLM rioting (including setting fires, breaking windows, looting stores, attacking innocent bystanders and law enforcement, etc.) was able to take place over an extended period of time, in cities and towns across the country, which in turn led to the death of dozens of innocent Americans, the injury of hundreds of police officers, and the loss of several billion dollars by uninvolved property owners. (Of course the criminal, alphabet MSM refers to BLM as having “mostly peaceful protests”). I digress.

My point is, just as the radical rioters were tearing down statues because they found them “racist,” the government then began tearing down statues, too!! For example, politicians ordered the removal of statues of historic figures and monuments, such as Confederate General Stonewall Jackson, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, various Confederate monuments and soldiers, Vice President John Calhoun (apparently a slavery advocate), and even Christopher Columbus! The lesson to learn here is twofold: first, if you aren’t paying attention and you don’t speak up, then these tragic, radical happenings (by protestors and by your government) will be allowed to happen; and second, it goes both ways! Meaning, if the side of reason, logic, and American patriotism would get loud and organize peaceful actions (always peaceful, folks), then the politicians will listen and fall into step. They will begin to march to the beat of our drums, not the radicals’. Think about the psychology involved - politicians want to stay in power. All of them. I don’t care what party they represent. If they don’t get reelected, then they’re out of a job ($$), and they’re out of all the cushy “perks” that go along with being an elected official (taxpayer funded health care, per diems for hotels, transportation, parking, etc.), not to mention the loss of being able to control thousands if not millions of people. In short, politicians don’t want to lose their next election! And so, they will capitulate to the will of the people if they feel that the will represents enough of their constituents. This is how it’s supposed to work, my friends. That is the whole premise behind how our form of government works… a Constitutional republic is rule of the people, by the people, for the people. We tell them what to do, not the other way around. And if they (ie the politicians) don’t obey, then we replace them. For more on that, you can check out my article, Our Constitution Was Written to Keep Our Government in Check, Not to Keep the People in Check!

I’ll end with this… Our Founding Fathers gave us the tools to control our lives by controlling our government (ie the politicians and their agencies). But it is up to us to do the work to use that tool we have been given. My article last week, “A Republic, if you can keep it”, goes into much detail on this. It’s definitely worth the read.

Get Involved!

There are always a plethora of ways you can get involved and become an answer to the problem (take action) instead of part of the problem (apathy). For example:

Stay informed and educate others:
- If you’re not already signed up for my weekly Substack, please do so. It’s free, unless you’d like to support my work, in which case you can do a paid subscription.
- If you are a New Yorker or interested in NY happenings, there’s also free weekly newsletters from Uniting NYS, the citizens’ group that is one of the plaintiffs on my quarantine camp lawsuit against the Governor. Sign up for their free e-newsletter here.
- If you have other sources of information you like, that’s great. Just try to diversify sometimes to ensure you get other perspectives, too.
Spread the word
- Share what you learn with others. Post on your social media platforms, send out in email blasts, talk about it at family functions or social events.
- If you know anyone in media, share the information with them and get them involved.
Donate to a group, candidate, or someone who is fighting on your behalf!
- If you’d like to support my work, you can donate at: www.CoxLawyers.com
- To support my quarantine camp lawsuit appeal, donate at: www.UnitingNYS.com
- Reach out to the candidate running for State Senate or Assembly or Congress in your area, and offer to volunteer your time, or make a donation to their race. Candidates are always looking for help!
Take action
- This is an absolutely crucial election coming up November 5. VOTE. And if you love our country, vote Republican, because I can tell you with certainty, the “Democrats” in power here in NY (and in the White House) are not Democrats. They are anti-American and have implemented policies that are socialist on a good day, Marxist all the other days.
- Make a promise to bring at least 10 people you know to vote on election day, or take advantage of early voting in your area.
- If in New York, flip your ballot and vote NO on Prop One on the back of your ballot! More info on that HERE.
- For all those who say voting is useless, I tell you this: if you do not vote this November, then you are part of the problem. If you don’t vote, they will win, hands down - no contest. By not voting, you are doing exactly what they want you to do, which is to get so discouraged that you refuse to vote. In 2022, Republican Lee Zeldin ran for governor against Democrat Kathy Hochul, and Lee lost by only 300,000 votes. We have 19 million New Yorkers. Only 5.5 million voted in 2022. You do the math.