Source: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2010/09/06/president-obama-labor-day-fight-americas-workers-continues
Let’s say you don’t live in the United States or Canada. You’re probably confused that we celebrate Labor Day in September. Even Americans might not know this is unusual.
Most countries celebrate International Workers’ Day on May 1. And for most people, this is a holiday of the radical left. By contrast, most people see Labor Day as a holiday for center-left labor movements. International Workers’ Day is broadly international, while Labor Day is mostly American and Canadian.
That’s close, though not exactly right. For one, both holidays come from the US. Specifically, from the US in the 1880s. We know the September Labor Day date came first, but there’s disagreement over the details. What we know pretty well is that someone from the Knights of Labor established it in 1882. And the US made it a federal holiday in 1894.
But International Workers’ Day originated in the US as well. Likely because of the pre-existing folk holiday May Day. A bit later, the Second International set May 1 as a day of labor in 1891. However, in addition to May Day, the May 1 date refers to the Haymarket affair in Chicago.
The Politics of Labor Day
There’s also the issue of politics, which is less clear. Politically, the Knights of Labor slot to the right of the socialists and anarchists of the Second International. There’s little confusion on this point, and even the early labor movement distinguished itself from socialists and anarchists.
But the more conservative tinge to September Labor Day mostly comes from the political response to these holidays. The US embraced the September date in part to deflect attention away from the Haymarket affair. And obviously the US government was no fan of the Second International. The Knights of Labor and AFL are, by contrast, the lesser evil.
Even so, US presidents and power structure play political football with May 1 over and over again, often via mass distraction. The Columbian Exposition opened to the public on May 1, 1893. The Empire State Building was dedicated on May 1, 1931. Dwight Eisenhower declared May 1 to be Loyalty Day in 1955 and Law Day in 1958. George W. Bush delivered his infamous “Mission Accomplished” speech on May 1, 2003. Osama bin Laden was shot and killed on May 1, 2011. And so on.
May 1 remains the US government’s favorite day for a dog and pony show.
