九月的第一个星期一是美国的劳动节，但是你有没有想过为什么我们要庆祝劳动节？

 

美国劳工部规定，劳动节庆祝美国工人为美国社会和经济做出贡献的全年努力。根据劳动部的说法，劳动节是“向全国人民致敬，向工人们为国家的力量、繁荣和福祉所做的贡献”。

 

今年的劳动节，9月2日，星期一，标志着联邦假日的第125个庆祝活动。这一年度传统的历史可以追溯到1894年，当时美国总统克里夫兰将庆祝活动定为全国公认的节日。

 

劳动节的历史
 

尽管劳动节在1894年成为了一个全国性的节日，但在这之前的几年里，近30个美国州都在庆祝劳动节，他们承认了典型的蓝领工人在制造业工作中为了微薄的工资而长时间工作的努力。

 

19世纪末，工厂、工厂和道路工程等领域的工人开始要求提高工资和工作条件，这导致了美国工会的兴起。

 

第一次有记录的劳动节活动于1882年9月5日在纽约市举行。10000名工人参加了第一次劳动节游行，他们带着无薪休假时间在市政厅和工会广场之间游行。

 

1982年劳动节游行
 

1982年9月，在纽约市举行的劳动节游行中，来自国际女装工人联合会（ILGWU）的游行队伍。

芭芭拉·阿尔珀/盖蒂

全国承认劳动节的一个关键事件是1894年6月的普尔曼铁路罢工。

 

这场罢工是对乔治·普尔曼（George Pullman）的回应，他是一位铁路业主，在1893年裁减了工人并削减了工资。这导致了对铁路工人的抵制，使全国的交通瘫痪。

 

芝加哥工人的抗议导致克利夫兰总统派遣军队到该州执行禁止罢工行动的禁令。随后发生的暴力事件造成至少30人死亡。

 

谁提出了劳动节？
 

劳动节的真正创新者受到了质疑。

 

马修·马奎尔（Matthew Maguire）是纽约中央工会（CLU）的秘书，他经常被认为是第一个提出联邦假日纪念美国劳动力的人。据说他在1882年9月在纽约举行的第一次劳工游行取得成功后，就提出了这样的建议。

 

然而，美国劳工联合会（AmericanFederationofLabor）副主席彼得·J·麦奎尔（PeterJ.McGuire）也被认为是“劳动节”的概念。据说他在1882年提出了这个想法，并建议在9月的第一个星期一举行，因为天气很好，而且会在7月4日和感恩节的中间时间举行。

LABOR DAY 2019: WHY WE CELEBRATE IT, AND HISTORY OF THE HOLIDAY

The first Monday of September is Labor Day in the U.S. But have you ever wondered why we celebrate Labor Day?

Labor Day, per the U.S. Department of Labor, celebrates the year-round efforts of American workers who diligently contribute to U.S. society and the economy. According to the Department of Labor, Labor Day is a "national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."

This year's Labor Day, on Monday, September 2, marks the 125th celebration of the federal holiday. The history of the annual tradition dates back to 1894, when U.S. President Grover Cleveland made the celebration a nationally recognized holiday.

The history of Labor Day

Though Labor Day became a national holiday in 1894, it was observed by nearly 30 U.S. states for years before this, acknowledging the efforts of typically blue-collar workers who worked long hours for little pay in manufacturing jobs.

In the late 1800s, workers in fields such as factory work, mills and roadworks, began demanding better pay and working conditions, and this led to a rise in labor unions in the U.S.

The first Labor Day activity on record took place in New York City on September 5, 1882. 10,000 workers took part in the first Labor Day parade when they took unpaid time off work to march between City Hall and Union Square.

A key event to nationwide recognition of Labor Day was the Pullman railroad strike in June 1894.

The strike was in response to George Pullman, a railroad proprietor, cutting his workforce and slashing wages in 1893. This led to a boycott of railroad workers that crippled the traffic across the country.

Protests by workers in Chicago led President Cleveland to send troops to the state to enforce an injunction banning strike action. The violence that followed killed at least 30 people.

Who came up with Labor Day?

The exact innovator of Labor Day is contested.

Matthew Maguire, who was the Secretary of the Central Labor Union (CLU) of New York, is often credited as the man who first posited the idea of a federal holiday honoring America's labor force. He is said to have suggested such a day after the success of the first-ever labor workers' parade in New York in September 1882.

However, a man called Peter J. McGuire, vice president of the American Federation of Labor, is also credited with the idea of Labor Day. He is claimed to have mooted the idea in 1882 and suggested it be held on the first Monday in September because of good weather and because it would fall midway through the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving on the calendar.