Labor Day was first celebrated in NYC in 1882 based on the celebrations of Canadian labor's Nine-hour movement.
Democratic president Grover Cleveland ordered 12,000 US Army troops commanded by General Nelson Miles (Soon to be the Commanding General US Army in 1895) against the strikers. 13 strikers were killed and 57 wounded before the strike was successfully broken.
Cleveland was now despised by labor, wanting reconciliation and fearful of further troubles, legislation designating Labor Day a national holiday were rushed through congress a mere 6 days after the end of the strike.
Now this story can be found on wikipedia, the History Channel website, the AFL-CIO website, and many others... but strangely enough not a word of it appears on the Department of Labor web page about Labor Day...
Go figger.
~Finntann~
7 comments:
How does that story support your political perspective?
What that government isn't necessarily a good thing and the answer to all our problems?
That Democrats (the supposed labor party) are just as capable of sending in 12,000 troops against workers as Republicans are? In this case the rights of the workers being balanced against the interference in mail delivery the strike caused.
That over 100 years later, government pointedly ignores the facts and circumstances surrounding the creation of the holiday on their "happy worker" website page dedicated to it?
It's a perspective that the founding father's were collectively committed to, that government is a necessary evil, that it is not to be trusted and for every power granted to it by its citizens there must be a corresponding check to balance it out. Less is better!
Happy Labor Day!
i think its a interesting story ..... a labor day becomes a national holiday..
A democrat, a long time ago. The party has changed significantly. Also, it is a workers holiday, so, I doubt repubs like it too much.
CP: You are ignorant of our demographics. The very poor and very rich vote democrat. The middle class workers votes republican in defiance of their corrupt union bosses.
Funny CP, I grew up in a Republican blue-collar household in a Republican blue-collar town.
Come to think of it, I live in a rural blue-collar county that in the last election went 63.2% Republican for President, 60.6% Republican for the Senate, and 64.3% Republican for the House. It went 67.7% Republican for the State Senate and 65.4% Republican for the State House. 30% of the people are registered Democrats, 68% Republican, and 1.6% Independent.
The median home price in the county is $160,000 with 80% home ownership. Looking at the demographics data, the main town in the county, which is basically a bedroom community for a larger city in another county has a higher per capita income ($7000 higher)and a median home price of $232,000 went pretty much 50/50 in the election.
It would seem that the ranchers, ranch-hands, forestry workers, mechanics, miners, and service industry personnel, i.e. more blue-collar, went more Republican than the richer bedroom commuters who live in town.
So much for your demographics/labor theory.
Cheers!
Interesting facts but I like the day off along with millions other americans-CP AMERICANS~~ It is not even holiday which we have to by presents-excepted grillin, grillin food and beer. OH and a bag of chips!!
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