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very year, on the first Monday in September, Americans observe a holiday. Many workers get the day off from their jobs. Children get the day off from school. On Labor Day, our country honors working people and the dignity of labor. The first Labor Day was held just over 140 years ago in New York City. To labor means to work. In 1882, many kinds of workers lived in New York City. There were carpenters, bricklayers, furniture-makers, jewelers, printers, and more. hile they were proud of their work and what they made, many laborers were unhappy with their long hours, unsafe workplaces, and low pay. Many worked 6 or 7 days a week and 12 or 14 hours a day. Pay was so low that even young children had to work.
This year’s Labor Day parade is o to a strange start. Find at least 10 things wrong in this picture. Standards Link: Visual Discrimination.
In the 1880s, New York workers formed groups called craft unions. Bricklayers had their own union. The carpenters had theirs and so did the printers. After a while, these small unions formed a larger union called the Knights of Labor. The Knights of Labor fought for workers’ rights. Their “weapons” were words and votes. They fought to get children out of the factories and the mines. They fought for better pay and safer working environments. Standards Link: History/Social Science: Students understand working conditions and the rise of the labor movement. Students understand events honored in commemorative holidays. Students understand the difficulties populations have faced in American culture.
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© Vicki Whiting September 2024
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