May Day history

May Day, which has an ancient history as a spring holiday, is today celebrated in much of the world as a holiday honoring workers and workers' collective action.

Ironically, this newer meaning for May Day began here in the U.S., but few in this country celebrate it or even know about it.

On May 1, 1886, hundreds of thousands of workers nationwide went on strike for an eight-hour workday (twelve- and fourteen-hour workdays were common at the time). In Chicago, 80,000 people marched down Michigan Avenue. It was a peaceful event, and most of the strikers won their demand. Many others had won the eight-hour day in the weeks prior, as their employers capitulated for fear of a strike.

You can read more about it here, here, and here.