Eight Hours for Work, Eight Hours for Rest: America's Labor Day Story

Civic holidays are days set aside to commemorate important events or values in our nation's history. They serve as reminders of our shared past and principles rather than just opportunities for celebration. Labor Day, celebrated on the first Monday in September, originated in the late 1800s when workers organized into unions to demand better working conditions, fair wages, and reasonable hours.

• Civic holidays include Independence Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Constitution Day
• Labor Day became a national holiday in 1894 after workers organized for better conditions
• The labor movement fought for the eight-hour workday with the slogan "eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, and eight hours for what we will."
• Labor Day honors all types of workers who keep our country running
• The US celebrates Labor Day in September, while many other countries observe International Workers' Day on May 1st
• Civic holidays connect past struggles to present-day benefits we often take for granted

Teachers, a classroom activity sheet called "Design Your Own Civic Holiday" is available here.

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Center for American Civics

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everyone, welcome back to Civics in a Year
Student Edition.
I'm Liz, and today we're goingto dive into a question that
connects history, citizenshipand even long weekends.
So today we're talking aboutwhat are civic holidays and
what's the story behind LaborDay.
A civic holiday is a day setaside to remember, celebrate or

(00:23):
reflect on something importantin the life of our country.
These holidays just aren'tabout parades or days off from
school.
They're reminders of our sharedhistory and values.
So think about it.
Independence Day celebrates thebirth of our nation in 1776.
Martin Luther King Jr Dayhonors the fight for civil

(00:45):
rights and equality, andConstitution Day reminds us of
the document that still shapesour democracy.
Each civic holiday gives us achance to pause and ask what
does this event or person meanfor who we are today?
So now let's talk about LaborDay.
Labor Day is celebrated thefirst Monday in September and

(01:10):
for many people it's theunofficial end of summer
Barbecues, pool parties, maybeeven some back-to-school
shopping.
But the real history is deeper.
Back in the late 1800s, theUnited States was going through
some huge changes.
Factories, railroads andindustries were booming, but the

(01:32):
workers, the people who builtthe railroads, worked in the
mines and sewed in the factoriesoften had tough and dangerous
jobs, long hours, low pay,little safety jobs.
Long hours, low pay, littlesafety.
Workers began to organize intosomething called a labor union
to demand better conditions,fair wages and reasonable hours.

(01:53):
These unions pushed for an ideathat might sound familiar an
eight-hour workday.
One of their slogans was eighthours for work, eight hours for
rest and eight hours for what wewill.
After strikes, marches and evensome violent clashes, the

(02:14):
government recognized theimportance of honoring workers.
In 1894, congress made LaborDay a national holiday.
So here's something to thinkabout.
When you imagine Americanworkers, who comes to mind?
Construction crews, teachers,nurses, delivery drivers, fast

(02:36):
food employees.
The truth is, labor Day honorsall kinds of workers that keep
our country running.
Honors all kinds of workersthat keep our country running.
Here's a fun fact Othercountries celebrate a holiday
called International Workers'Day on May 1st.
The US chose September instead,partly to give workers a

(02:57):
well-deserved break between July4th and Thanksgiving.
So why do civic holidays matter?
Because they help us connectpast struggles and achievements
to our lives today.
Labor Day isn't just about theend of summer.
It's about remembering thepeople who fought for safer
workplaces, weekends and rightsthat benefit most of us today.

(03:20):
So question for you If youcould create a new civic holiday
, what would it honor and why?
Next time Labor Day comesaround, enjoy the barbecue, sure
, but also take a moment tothink about the workers of the
past and present who make ourcommunity strong.

(03:41):
Thanks for tuning in to Civics.
In a Year I'm Liz and I'll seeyou next time with another big
civic question.
Adults teachers.
There is a classroom activitysheet that goes along with this
episode, called Design your OwnCivic Holiday.
You can find it in the shownotes or on our website,

(04:01):
civicsasuedu.