The American Labor Day
美国劳动工人节
美国在9月的第一个星期一庆祝劳动工人节，简称“劳工节”。（译者注）这一天提醒美国工人权利的重要性，并给他们提供值得享受的一天休息。
劳动节是设立在9月的第一个星期一，是一年一度的假日，是为了庆祝美国工人在社会和经济上的成就。这个节日起源于十九世纪末，当时劳动工人的活动家们发起设立一个联邦假日，以表彰工人为国家的实力、社会的繁荣和幸福所做出的贡献。
在联邦设立假日之前，劳工节得到了劳动工人活动家和各州的认可。在1885年和1886年通过市政法令之后，为了获得州立法而发展了一场运动。纽约州是第一个提出劳工节法案的州，但俄勒冈州是第一个在1887年2月21日通过承认劳工节的法律的州。1887年，又有四个州 —— 科罗拉多州、马萨诸塞州、新泽西州和纽约州——通过了设立劳工节假期的法律。到十九世纪末，康涅狄格州、内布拉斯加州和宾夕法尼亚州也纷纷效仿。到1894年，又有23个州通过了这个节日，1894年6月28日，国会通过了一项法案，将每年9月的第一个星期一作为联邦政府的法定假日。
许多美国人以游行、野餐和聚会等方式来庆祝劳工节 —— 庆祝活动与第一个节日提案所概述的非常相似，该提议建议，应该用街头游行来纪念这一天，以展示"工商业组织的力量和精神"，然后是劳动工人及其家人的娱乐和娱乐节日。这成了劳工节庆祝活动的模式。
来源：https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history
讨论问题：
1. 美国的劳工节是什么时候？
2. 在您所在的国家是不是也有劳工节？如果有的话，是什么时候呢？
3. 在美国劳工节是怎样成为国定假日的？那么在您的国家呢？
4. 人们是怎样来度过他们的劳工节的？您在你们的劳工节是怎样度过呢呢？
5. 您在这一课学到了什么了？
The U.S. celebrates Labor Day on the first Monday in September. The day reminds Americans of the importance of workers’ rights and offers them a day of well-earned rest.
Observing the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.
Before it was a federal holiday, Labor Day was recognized by labor activists and individual states. After municipal ordinances were passed in 1885 and 1886, a movement developed to secure state legislation. New York was the first state to introduce a bill, but Oregon was the first to pass a law recognizing Labor Day, on February 21, 1887. During 1887, four more states – Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York – passed laws creating a Labor Day holiday. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday.
Many Americans celebrate Labor Day with parades, picnics and parties – festivities very similar to those outlined by the first proposal for a holiday, which suggested that the day should be observed with – a street parade to exhibit "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day.
Source: https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history
Discussion Question:
1. When is American Labor Day?
2. Do you have Labor Day in your country? If so, when is it?
3. How did Labor Day become a national holiday in US? How about yours?
4. What do people do during their Labor Day? What did you do at your last Labor Day?
5. What did you learn from this lesson?
