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Website
Employment Spot

Employment Spot: Labor Day

For Students 9th - 10th
Today, most Americans view Labor Day as the last chance to take a dip in the pool, a great excuse to barbecue with friends or a farewell to summer. But in 1894, when Labor Day was declared a legal holiday, the day was a celebration of...
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Article
A&E Television

History.com: Labor Day 2021

For Students 9th - 10th
Labor Day 2021 occurred on Monday, September 6. Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers and is traditionally observed on the first Monday in September. It was created by the labor movement in the...
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Why Do Americans and Canadians Celebrate Labor Day?

For Students 9th - 10th
In the United States and Canada, the first Monday of September is a federal holiday, Labor Day. Originally celebrated in New York City's Union Square in 1882, Labor Day was organized by unions as a rare day of rest for the overworked...
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Article
A&E Television

History.com: How a Deadly Railroad Strike Led to the Labor Day Holiday

For Students 9th - 10th
The history behind the Labor Day holiday is far more complex and dramatic than most might realize, starting with a heated campaign by workers in the late 19th century to win support and recognition for their contributions. In July 1894,...
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Article
A&E Television

History.com: How a Deadly Railroad Strike Led to the Labor Day Holiday

For Students 9th - 10th
When the federal government was called in to suppress a railroad workers' strike, dozens were killed and politicians sought a way to show they still supported workers. July 1894, President Grover Cleveland finally signed into law...
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Interactive
Vocabulary University

My vocabulary.com: Labor Day

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This is a collection of puzzles and activities using a bank of 18 words on the theme of Labor Day. It also provides a Vocabulary Word List for Vocational and Technical Education (362).
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Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: The Very First Labor Day

For Students 3rd - 8th
You have a day off of school the first Monday in September to honor the workers of America. A history of our Labor Day celebration is provided by this Library of Congress timeline.
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Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Labor Day Address:barack Obama Speech [Pdf]

For Teachers 6th - 8th
"Labor Day Address: Barack Obama Speech" is a one page, campaign speech by Barack Obama given on August 24, 2008, in Billings, Montana. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes...
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Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Holidays for Kids: Labor Day

For Students 1st - 9th
Kids learn about Labor Day on this site. The history and facts about this holiday that celebrates the worker.
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Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: How Labor Got Its Day

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
If you asked students what comes to mind first when they think of Labor Day, what do you think they would say? The last days of summer? A family picnic? Shopping the Labor Day sales? The purpose of this lesson is to broaden and deepen...
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Handout
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Celebrating Labor Day

For Teachers 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] A high school lesson plan using two primary source quotes to determine if working conditions have improved in the last 100 years.
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Website
A&E Television

History.com: The History of Labor Day

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn all about this National holiday started in 1894 that celebrates how we value work in America presented by History.com.
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Article
A&E Television

History.com: Labor Movement

For Students 9th - 10th
Article takes a look at the history of the Labor Movement and labor unions through videos, pictures, speeches and more.
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Graphic
Other

New York University: Labor Arts

For Students 9th - 10th
Numerous collections of cartoons, buttons, posters, murals, photographs, and similar artifacts, all pertaining to history of American labor, especially its drive to organize and its history of protest. Stretches back to the earliest days...
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Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: Today in History: August 20: 8 Hour Work Day

For Students 9th - 10th
This Library of Congress site provides information on the fight for the eight-hour workday. Discusses labor unions and strikes.
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Lesson Plan
Federal Reserve Bank

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia: Ten Mile Day [Pdf]

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Using the book, Ten Mile Day, by Mary Ann Fraser, this lesson helps children understand division of labor, competition, and incentives in the workplace.
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Lesson Plan
Utah State University

Teacher Link: A Day in the Life of an Employed Child

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Ask your students how they would like working everyday instead of coming to school? This site features a lesson plan to help make students aware of child labor abuses throughout the world.
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Handout
Other

America's 1st Secretary of Labor: William B. Wilson

For Students 9th - 10th
Click here to see a portrait of Wilson & choose from numerous sections of his biography, including his service in Congress and as Secretary of Labor under President Wilson.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Labor Day Parade, Main Street, Buffalo, New York

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Overhead view of the first Labor Day parade, in Buffalo, New York on September 5, 1882.
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Handout
Other

Grandparents Day

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the history of this American holiday which is celebrated every year on the first Sunday after Labor Day.
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Article
A&E Television

History.com: Knights of Labor

For Students 9th - 10th
An article regarding the Knights of Labor and their struggle for the eight-hour day, abolition of child labor, equal pay for equal work, and political reforms including the graduated income tax.
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Handout
Other

Illinois Labor History Society: Early Days of Coal Mining in Northern Illinois

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore the coal boom of the late 1860s and learn about the difficult lives of the miners and their families.
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Handout
Country Studies US

Country Studies: The Struggles of Labor

For Students 9th - 10th
This site discusses how for much of the latter half of the 1800s, the life of the common laborer was horrendous. Working in a unsanitary factory, for at least 10 hours a day, making far less than needed to survive, the struggles of the...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs: Roman Empire of the 1st Century: Slaves, the Labor Force, and the Economy

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this lesson, students will examine the various social classes and learn about the critical role that slaves, freemen, and plebeians played in the day-to-day operations of the Roman Empire. Students will learn about the various social...

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