Labor Day: How the mov't became a national holiday
Canadian heritage
Although it is a nationally observed holiday in the U.S., Labor Day might actually have its roots in the Great White North.
During the 1870s, labor unions protested the lengthy work week in Toronto and held a parade in the city in 1872.
Rather than being a cause for celebration, the demonstration led to the mass arrest of labor leaders by the then anti-union Canadian government.
It was not until the 1880s that similar demonstrations and observances emerged within the American labor movement, helping to usher in the holiday.
