Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday was created by the labor movement and is dedicated to the working man. The idea of Labor Day was first proposed by Peter J. McGuire, a vice president of the American Federation of Labor, who suggested that a day be set aside for a "general holiday for the laboring classes" after seeing parades celebrating labor in Toronto in May 1882. The first Labor Day celebration was held on September 5, 1882, in New York City, where 10,000 workers held a parade under the sponsorship of the Knights of Labor. Congress declared the first Monday of September to be Labor Day in 1894, making it an unprecedented holiday dedicated to the working man.
Over the years, the significance of Labor Day in the United States has changed. For many people, it has become an end-of-summer celebration and a long weekend. Some churches continue to acknowledge the Sunday preceding Labor Day as "Labor Sunday," which is dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.
