Authorizing Labor Day

By Elaine Grublin

Did you know that the first Labor Day celebration was held in New York City on 5 September 1882?  The event was called for by the Central Labor Union (CLU).  After a successful first holiday, the CLU organized a second Labor Day celebration the following year.  In 1884 the CLU marked the first Monday of September as the day to observe the holiday, and encouraged cities around the country to join New York City in celebrating. 

Three years later Massachusetts became one of the first states to declare the first Monday of September an official state holiday. Oregon had been the first, passing legislation in February 1887.

Below is a detail image from Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Court of Massachusetts in the Year 1887 (Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co., 1887) showing the approval of the act to make “Labor’s Holiday” a legal holiday. 

Detail of page from Acts & Resolves Passed by the General Court of Massachusetts featuring the text of the law making Labor Day a holiday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1897 Congress passed an act making Labor Day a federal holiday.  

Posted in From Our Collections

Stephen Greenleaf Bulfinch Diary, Post 3

By Elaine Grublin

The following excerpt is from the diary of Stephen Greenleaf Bulfinch.

Monday, 14 January 1861

Instead of three of the cabinet, one alone, Mr. Floyd of Virginia, Sec. of War, resigned just previous to my last date; Mr. Cass having honorably retired before. Mr. Floyd lies under heavy suspicions of having betrayed to the secessionists the national forts and arms. Since then, Mississippi, Florida, & I think Alabama have passed secession ordinances; – a collision has been with difficulty avoided at Charleston by the prudence & manliness of Major Anderson, the state forces having fired on a steamer with troops & provisions for his relief. His conduct in protecting instead of fighting seems to have showed the violence of the rebels; and they appear to be negotiating. Meanwhile, Senator Seward, the destined Secretary of State of the next President, has made a noble, conciliatory speech, and brought forward a proposition which I hope may relieve the distracted country. The President appears to act more energetically, and another secessionist has left the cabinet, – Mr. Thoussour, Sec. of the Interior. This makes the fourth of that board who has left his place; – three of them, Cobb, Floyd, and Thompson, “for their country’s good.”

Next week look for SGB’s entry, dated 16 April 1861.  There he declares “Our country is engaged in civil war” and summarizes the events that had transpired over the course of this three month absence from his diary. 

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