How students spent Labor Day

What is Labor Day? It’s just what it sounds like, a day for laborers. This is a day that recognizes all that work and pays tribute to the workers of America.

Labor Day usually occurs on the first Monday of September and, in this year’s case, took place on Sept. 6.This day was created by the labor movement during the late 19th century and then became an official holiday in 1894.

Labor Day can mean the start of school for most Americans in college or high school as well as the last hooray of summer.

The whole idea of a holiday for workers was thought of during the industrial revolution when most Americans and their kids as young as five years-old would be working 7 days a week on top of a 12-hour work day.

Most conditions in the factories during this time were in very poor conditions and violated many safety protocols that wouldn’t be deemed up to regulation in today’s standards.

But it wouldn’t become an official holiday right away until the American laborers brought workers rights to light in front of the states legislation.

With intention to mend ties with the American workers congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday just in the District of Columbia in June of 1894. This holiday was passed by President Grover Cleveland.

Being a well-known holiday for over a century, Labor Day is now celebrated all across the United States with most spending their day outside and enjoying the last bit of the summer sun. 

“I was at my cabin in Richmond and then I went jet skiing and spent the day outside with my family,” Grant Good, freshman at MNSU said.

“This weekend I went camping with my family up north,” Destiny Fairbanks, freshman at MNSU shared.

While some go out and spend the day with fun-filled activities, some students took the day to relax.

“I caught up on some homework and then slept in, obviously,” Aaron Hanson, freshman at MNSU said.

Other students similarly took the day to “I slept in on Monday and then I played some basketball at the park since the gym here was closed,” Gavin Sell, freshman at MNSU shared.

“I hung out with friends and then also played some basketball later in the day,” Brady Burton, freshman at MNSU said.

For Minnesotans, it also marks the last day of the infamous Minnesota State fair where millions of people come to enjoy the deep fried food, live entertainment, and variety of displays and freebies all across the fairgrounds. 

“I went to the state fair with one of my friends on Labor Day. The best thing I had there definitely was the milk with the Sweet Martha’s cookies,” Hunter Vonruden, freshman at MNSU said.