Do you know the reality of Labor Day History? On the occasion of ” Labor Day,” we bring a chronological list with some of the historical data that led humanity to the celebration of this date.
The events that gave rise to this celebration are contextualized at the dawn of the industrial revolution in the United States.
On May 1, 1886, 200,000 workers joined a strike while another 200,000 obtained that conquest with the simple threat of unemployment.
On day 2 the police violently dissolved a large demonstration of more than 50,000 people.
On day 3, police officers without warning fired on the crowd, producing 6 dead and several dozen injured.
After that episode, a proclamation is written printing 25 thousand copies of it proclaiming a protest the next day.
On day 4, more than 20,000 people were repressed in Haymarket Square (Chicago, United States) that were repressed by 180 uniformed policemen wounding and killing a large but unknown number of workers.
On June 21, 1886, 8 persons responsible for the movement that was listed as an anarchist were judged where three were sentenced to prison and five to the gallows.
Then thousands of workers were laid off, detained, prosecuted, and tortured. Most of them were from Italian, Spanish, German, Irish, Russian, Polish, and other Slavic countries.
One of the basic demands of the workers was the eight-hour day.
Before the claim, there was a law in New York that prohibited working more than 18 hours but the employer had to pay a fine of $ 25, but there was no good control by the government in compliance with the law.
The Reality of Labor Day History
In the United States, instead of this celebration, Labor Day takes place on the first Monday of September since 1882 for fear of strengthening the socialist movement in that country.
Although in 1886 the maximum workday of 8-10 hours was established there were clauses that allowed work between 14 and 18 hours.
The press described this movement as outrageous and disrespectful as a result of the delirium of unpatriotic lunatics.
The Noble Order of the Knights of Labor became the main organization of workers in the United States USA Labor Day History.
Finally, the achievement of the 8-hour day marked a turning point in the world labor movement.
Today, most countries celebrate May 1st as the “International Labor Day”.
