Many of us will spend the Labor Day weekend feasting on barbecue or lolling in the sun.
But "summer's last hurrah" was actually borne out of the toil and sweat of America's manual laborers. How much do you know about the history of Labor Day? Take our quiz and find out:
A. In 1938
B. In 1968
C. In 1879
D. In 1894
E. It was never "officially" designated
Answer: D. In 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law declaring Labor Day a national holiday. 1938 was when Armistice Day was declared a federal holiday to commemorate the end of World War I; it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. 1968 was the year Congress enacted the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.
In 1879, Congress designated George Washington's birthday as a federal holiday. Most Americans now deem it "Presidents' Day" to honor all U.S. presidents. However, the official name has never been changed.
A. 80 hours
B. 100 hours
C. 60 hours
D. 120 hours
E. 40 hours
(Need a hint? Check out the video.)
Answer: B. U.S. industrial workers regularly toiled for 100 hours per week in deplorable conditions before the Labor Movement.
Nowadays, about 2-3% of American workers regularly work more than 80 hours per week. Most work in high-demand professions such as tech, finance, and healthcare. Most U.S. farmers average 60 hours of work per week—80 hours during harvest season and about 40 hours in winter. Few Americans attempt to work 120 hours per week.
A. It was a way to separate the "haves" from the "have-nots" during America's Gilded Age.
B. White clothing was hard to keep clean, so only the unemployed wealthy classes wore it.
C. It was a semi-arbitrary rule to distinguish the nouveau riche from old money.
D. White clothing was particularly difficut to keep clean during the fall and winter seasons.
E. All of the above
Answer: E. As far back as the 17th century, wearing white symbolized wealth. Because white clothing is hard to keep clean, wearing it meant you did not have to sully it with manual labor and had the means to replace it frequently. In addition, those with generational wealth could distinguish themselves from the nouveau riche by creating random rules about what to wear and when to wear it.
Also, back in the days when industrial pollution was severely unchecked, soot and smut emissions made white clothing a high-maintenance color choice. The condition worsened in fall and winter, when colder air trapped more pollution, and mud and slush compounded the problem.
A. A straw hat
B. Two-tone shoes
C. A striped blazer
D. A linen suit
E. A newsboy cap
Answer: A. In the early 20th century, wearing a straw boater-style hat after Labor Day was considered by New Yorkers to be a major fashion faux pas. Men who did so were often subject to public ridicule or had their hats knocked off.
This practice reached a climax on September 13, 1922, when enthusiastic youths began removing and stomping on straw hats worn by dock and factory workers. The incident sparked a series of riots that lasted more than a week, with mobs roaming the city and destroying hats. Several people were injured and arrested.
Two-tone shoes, striped blazers, and linen suits were typical summertime fashions for men in 1922. Although they were not typically worn after Labor Day, doing so never caused a riot.
Newsboy caps were worn year-round by all classes but were especially popular with the young, the working poor, and the rich while playing sports.
A. Hawaii
B. Iowa
C. North Carolina
D. South Carolina
E. Alabama
Answer: C. As of 2024, only 2.4% of North Carolina workers were unionized. South Carolina runs close behind, with 2.8% union membership. Hawaii has the highest percentage of union workers – 26.5%, while Iowa and Alabama hover around the middle at 7.2% and 6.6%, respectively.
A. Peter McGuire
B. Molly Maguire
C. Matthew Maguire
D. Tobey Maguire
E. Both A and C
Answer: E. Both Peter McGuire and Matthew Maguire have been credited with starting Labor Day.
Many sources, including the U.S. Department of Labor, credit Peter McGuire for the holiday. However, the New Jersey Historical Society recently revealed that the true father of Labor Day may, in fact, be Matthew Maguire. Both Peter and Matthew were respected union leaders in their day. However, Matthew Maguire's politics were a shade too radical for American Federation of Labor (AFL) leader Samuel Gompers. So, he publicly credited Peter McGuire instead.
The Molly Maguires was the name of a secret (often violent) society best known for activism among Irish-American and Irish immigrant coal miners in Pennsylvania. (Tobey Maguire is Spider-Man.)
Sources:
Featured Image: Adobe, License Granted
Forbes
NPR
ProProfs
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Science Survey
Vintage Dancer
U.S. Department of Labor
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