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On the first Monday of September, we celebrate Labor Day. Your students are likely familiar with the parades, cookouts, and (sometimes) a day off from school that comes with this holiday. But do they really know why we have this holiday on our calendars?
We have a collection of content and activities to help you answer the questions, “What is Labor Day and why is it important?” in your classroom.
[Discover what Labor Day is in social studies](id-ss)
The earliest Labor Day celebrations typically didn’t include cookouts, picnics, and pool time. Instead, there were parades, marches, and protests that shined a light on workers and their rights. Use these Newsela Social Studies lessons to help students build background knowledge of historical Labor Day celebrations and the issues that led to the holiday’s creation:
Explore the history of Labor Day
Labor Day originated as an opportunity for workers to come together and acknowledge their collective strength with a day of rest and celebration. Help your students learn more about the events and people who contributed to Labor Day’s founding, and showcase why its recognition remains important today. Share:
A primary source about the 1836 women-led strike at the cotton factory in Lowell, Massachusetts, protesting wage cuts and other unfair labor practices.
An interactive video about Latina labor activist Emma Tenayuca, who led labor strikes in the years following the Great Depression.
A news article about how McDonald’s began to raise its wages and expand benefits opportunities for all employees following worker strikes and public backlash.
Discover how industrialization led to new labor needs
When industrialization arrived in America in the 18th and 19th centuries, it significantly impacted the country's social and economic framework. Cities grew, and labor needs changed, leading some people away from farming and merchant work to factories. With this lesson, students can:
Explore how the Industrial Revolution grew urban populations, changed transportation and building needs, and had deep effects on working-class people.
Discover the origins of some of the first American factories, like the textile mills of Massachusetts.
Discuss how the market revolution created by industrialization led to class conflict, wage gaps, and a commitment to “free labor” in northern states.
Learn more about unfair labor practices of the past
Though U.S. labor laws and practices today may not be perfect, there were times when they were much worse. Especially for groups like women, children, and other underrepresented individuals. Students can explore some of these instances, like:
The Lowell Mill girls' strike of 1836 which protested poor wages and working conditions.
Sharecropping in the American South and how the practice took advantage of poor Black farmers.
The National Child Labor Committee’s efforts in the early 1900s to find and document the unfair working practices for children across the country.
Discuss the significance of labor unions
Students may be unfamiliar with the concept of labor unions, which are groups of employees who join together to advocate for their workplace rights. Use Labor Day as a timely introduction to talk about what labor unions do and how they affect the market economy with articles that:
Explain the rise of organized labor unions in the United States starting in the late 1800s.
Show how labor unions protected U.S. workers after the Great Depression with the passage of the National Labor Relations Act.
Explore how teachers’ unions and strikes help protect the interests of schools and school employees, such as rallying for increased funding.
Teach more about organized labor during the Gilded Age
Labor unions emerged in response to the social unrest and harsh working conditions of the Gilded Age. Help students build background knowledge about this period in workers’ history so they can understand how the unions of today have evolved:
Share an article about the Bread and Roses Strike of 1912, known as one of the most successful strikes in American history, which caused a mass worker stoppage in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Explore the history of the Pullman porters, a group of Black men who worked on sleeper trains for over 100 years.
Watch an interactive video about the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Tragedy in New York that sparked calls for more workplace health and safety laws.
Discover what organized labor looks like in modern times
Once students understand what labor unions are and the earliest examples of these groups, they can dig deeper into the people who keep them running today. Look at the different tactics individuals and groups have used to make their voices heard in organized labor movements:
Read the full text of civil rights and labor leader Cesar Chavez’s speech about the lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which Chavez used to encourage people to join the United Farm Workers movement.
Discover why college football players support a players’ union because participating in the sport at that level is more like a job rather than a hobby.
Discuss the debate over whether a California program that uses female inmates to fight wildfires is truly voluntary or should be treated like a unionized job.
[Explore why we celebrate Labor Day in your ELA classes](id-ela)
How much do your students know about Labor Day? Use Newsela ELA to help them explore the significance of this holiday with curated lessons:
Why do we celebrate Labor Day?
Holidays are timely, teachable moments to help students—especially elementary school students—better understand the world around them. Labor Day is no exception. You can use our “Celebrating Labor Day” text set to teach students about the significance of the holiday:
First, define the words “labor” and “laborer” as a class.
Next, read the article “Celebrating Labor Day” from the text set to teach students more about laborers, their daily activities, and how they observe the holiday.
Finally, have students show what they know with a headline activity. Ask them to write newspaper or magazine headlines that summarize how and why people celebrate Labor Day across the United States.
Compare and contrast Labor Day texts
Middle and high school students may know why we celebrate Labor Day now, but they could be unfamiliar with its historical significance. Use our “Comparing and Contrasting Texts about Labor Day” text set to help them build background knowledge of the holiday’s history.
Start with a guiding question like, “What do you already know about Labor Day and labor unions, and what else would you like to know?”
Then, have students read two articles, “The History of Labor Day” and “The Rise of Organized Labor in the United States,” and highlight or annotate key details that answer their guiding questions.
Finally, have students apply their knowledge by creating a public service announcementthat informs brand-new U.S. citizens about why and how we celebrate Labor Day in America.
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