Labor Day in America

Often celebrated on the first Monday of September, Labor Day is an American holiday that honors the work force. It has roots in the labor movement and is often the unofficial end of summer as kids go back to school after the long weekend.

Joshua Freeman, a historian at New York University, says the idea of a national holiday developed as unions strengthened in the late 1800s. It became official when President Grover Cleveland declared the first Monday in September to be a federal holiday.