know the history of labour day. by john isma on may 1, 2013 history of labour day , labour , labour movements , labour unions politics. adapted from labor day, an annual celebration of workers and their achievements, originated during one of american labor history’s most dismal chapters. in the late 1800s, at the height of the industrial revolution in the united states, the average american worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. […].