Labor Day: What is celebrated in the United States and the origin of this holiday

Every year, the United States celebrates Labor Day, a day dedicated to recognizing the social and economic achievements of the country's workers. The holiday is observed on the first Monday in September and has its roots in the late 19th-century labor movement.

The origins of Labor Day date back to New York in 1882, according to the Department of Labor. On Sept. 5 of that year, the first such event was held, organized by the Central Labor Union. The event included a workers' parade and a celebration afterward, following a proposal that sought to create a day dedicated to workers.

In the years that followed, other states began to recognize the holiday. Oregon was the first to pass a state law regarding Labor Day on Feb. 21, 1887, and that same year, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York also established the observance. By the end of the decade, several more states had joined in.

The date became a national holiday in 1894. On June 28 of that year, Congress passed a law designating the first Monday in September as a holiday, and President Grover Cleveland signed it into law.

The identity of the person who originally proposed Labor Day is not entirely clear. The Department of Labor notes that there are two leading candidates: Peter J. McGuire, a labor leader and co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, and Matthew Maguire, a machinist who in 1882 served as secretary of the Central Labor Union of New York. Subsequent research cited by the Department of Labor supports the possibility that Maguire was the one who proposed the holiday.