Themed Reviews: Labor Day

Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country. All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation." 
Samuel Gompers, founder of the American Federation of Labor

Besides a long weekend and the end of summer, what does Labor Day mean? It celebrates the achievements and contributions of American workers. A national holiday since 1894, Labor Day emerged from a rather dark period in history for American workers. During the height of the Industrial Revolution the average American worked twelve hours a day, seven days a week, in unsafe conditions, just to earn a basic living. This workforce also included young children, who earned even less money than adults. Then Labor Unions sprang up, demanding change from these harsh circumstances. By organizing strikes, boycotts, and rallies the unions were able to negotiate changes for workers.

On September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march in New York City, in what is regarded as the first Labor Day celebration. The idea of a holiday for workers began to catch on and many states began observing the holiday. Twelve years later, Congress passed legislation declaring Labor Day a national holiday. Labor Day is celebrated annually on the first Monday in September. Today, celebrations still include parades and speeches but over the years Labor Day has also become an end-of-summer celebration, marked with activities such as barbecues. And though often associated with students heading back to school, it is becoming more common to see that return in August.

The selections here feature the history of labor unions and the American workforce, as well as highlighting different kinds of jobs.

For more information visit:

http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm
http://www.history.com/topics/labor-day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day
http://www.usconsulate.org.hk/pas/kids/ld.htm

Annie Shapiro and the Clothing Workers' Strike

Marlene Targ Brill

Illustrated by Jamel Akib

Annie Shapiro was seventeen years old in 1910 and worked long hours in a clothing factory to help pay her family's bills. It was not fun work. Annie spent long hours sewing pockets for men's pants. The bosses were often mean to the workers, telling them they must work faster and sew more pockets to earn their pay. When the foreman cut the workers' pay, Annie could stand it no longer. She walked out. Fifteen other workers followed. At first the bosses at the clothing company did not take Annie and her coworkers seriously, but eventually the strike she started grew to include forty thousand workers. After many months, the owners of the clothing company offered the striking workers a plan to improve their wages and working conditions, and Annie Shapiro became a hero. Annie's story is part of the "History Speaks" series from Millbrook Press. It is written in clear, easily understandable text and illustrated in full color. What makes this series unique is that it also includes a reader's theatre, with scripts and performance suggestions. This is a great way to make history come alive for students and help them remember what they have learned. Also included are an author's note, glossary, pronunciation guide, bibliography, and suggestions for further reading, as well as teacher notes on conducting a readers theatre, making this an ideal history source for upper elementary classrooms. 2011, Millbrook Press/Lerner Publishing Group, $27.93. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Pat Trattles (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9781580136723

Contributor: Emily Griffin, CLCD