On this day in Labor History the year was 1997.
That was the day that Union Square in New York City was named a National Historic Landmark.
Republican Governor George Pataki explained the importance of the park in a press release.
“It is only fitting that the National Parks Service should recognize Union Square Park’s long history as a focal point for political expression. New York is proud that the first Labor Day Parade took place here in Union Square Park more than a hundred years ago, establishing a tradition that spread across the nation.”
Although the park was very important to the labor movement—that is not why it is known as “Union Square.”
The park got its name because it was the place of intersection, or union, of two busy New York roads—what are today Broadway and Fourth Avenue.
In 1831 the open space at the intersection was declared a public space.
The space became an important location for labor rallies and political demonstrations.
In 1882, the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history marched through the square.
10,000 workers waiving their banners high. In 1911, Union workers again gathered in Union Square to protest after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire killed 146 mostly young women and girls, some garment worker as young as 11 and 14 years old.
In the later 1920s the park was demolished for the construction of the New York Subway.
But the space continued be important to the city’s union movement.
In 2002, a series of twenty-two bronze plaques were dedicated at the park to tell the history of Union Square.
One of those plaques tells of the first Labor Day parade.
Another is a collage of images of labor demonstrations and sheet music of labor songs.
May 4 - UE Beats Back HUAC in Dayton
May 3 - First Workers Compensation Law is Passed
May 2 - Our Thing is DRUM!
May 1 - Mayday Marchers Attacked in Cleveland
April 30 - Refinery Workers Walk Off the Job
April 29 - Allis-Chalmers and the Road to Taft-Hartley
April 28 - OSHA Goes Into Effect
April 27 - Disaster in West Virginia
April 26 - National Guard Ousts Montgomery Ward CEO
April 25 - UAW Mobilizes Against Taft-Hartley
April 24 - The California Spinach Riot
April 23 - Sitting Down for Dignity at Ford
April 22 - The Red Jacket Mine Explosion
April 21 - The Hated Taylor Law Takes Effect
April 20 - Deepwater Horizon Explosion Kills 11
April 19 -The Daughters of Mother Jones
April 18 - We Have Fed You All A thousand Years
April 17 - Fatal Explosion in West, Texas
April 16 - Jacob Coxey is Born
April 15 - Telephone Girls Cripple New England Bell
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Heal, Survive & Thrive!
Summarize | رادیو سامرایز
LifeBlood
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast