Although I would often like to think that I live in the land of “The Endless Summer,” California does, in fact, have an eventual end to the 100+ degree heat that makes for some really great beach days this time of year! While most people know the patriotic reasons for celebrating the unofficial kickoff of summer, Memorial Day, I believe there are less people who know the true roots behind today’s celebration of Labor Day. I will admit that this lack of knowledge was shared personally after reading an article this morning on Newsweek.com.
According to this article, the roots of the movement are somewhat debated on the facts of who might have proposed the first Labor Day, before it was even dubbed a national holiday. Even though there is debate, it no doubt has origins tracing back to labor unions, and their need to give credit to the American workers whose labor helped forge the great country that emerged from nothing but dust and soil. Its signing into law as a national holiday by president Grover Cleveland in 1894, was much a result of his need to appease workers after decades of bloodied labor strikes and protests.
As much of the celebrating has remained the same after many years, with parades and festivals, the true American method of barbequing and taking trips to the beach has become synonymous with this holiday as well. So while some of us are lucky enough to get time off to celebrate the unofficial end of summer and start of football season, lets not forget our brothers and sisters out there on the road still pulling their share of the freight that keeps this country going! May you deliver the goods safely and get your time off to rest soon!