In the latter half of the 19th century, growing labor movements and unions pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the contributions of American workers. On June 28th, 1894, President Grover Cleveland declared Labor Day, the first Monday in September, a national holiday.
From global histories of work to local histories of labor organizing, explore our curated selection of titles for your Labor Day reading.
The Story of Work
A New History of Humankind
Jan Lucassen
The first truly global history of work, an upbeat assessment from the age of the hunter-gatherer to the present day
Grounds for Dreaming
Mexican Americans, Mexican Immigrants, and the California Farmworker Movement
Lori A. Flores
An incisive study of labor, migration, race, gender, citizenship, and class
Women, Work, and Politics
The Political Economy of Gender Inequality
Torben Iversen and Frances McCall Rosenbluth
The first book to integrate the micro-level of families with the macro-level of national institutions
(Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love
Gender and Aspirational Labor in the Social Media Economy
Brooke Erin Duffy
An illuminating investigation into a class of enterprising women aspiring to “make it” in the social media economy but often finding only unpaid work
Richard Sennett
In his most ambitious book to date, Richard Sennett offers an original perspective on craftsmanship and its close connections to work and ethical values
Humans Need Not Apply
A Guide to Wealth and Work in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Jerry Kaplan
An insightful, engaging tour by a noted Silicon Valley insider of how accelerating developments in Artificial Intelligence will transform the way we live and work
The People’s Revolt
Texas Populists and the Roots of American Liberalism
Gregg Cantrell
An engaging and meticulous history of the hard‑pressed farmers and laborers from Texas who organized a movement for economic justice called the Texas People’s Party
The Strike That Changed New York
Blacks, Whites, and the Ocean Hill-Brownsville Crisis
Jerald E. Podair
A superb revisit of the Ocean Hill–Brownsville crisis—a watershed in modern New York City race relations and teacher’s rights
The Week
A History of the Unnatural Rhythms That Made Us Who We Are
David M. Henkin
An investigation into the evolution of the seven-day week and how our attachment to its rhythms influences how we live
Between Memory and History