History Dates Terminology

When writing historical fiction, the vocabulary is almost as important as the story. Labor Day has always been called that and has been celebrated on the first Monday of September ever since it became a national holiday in 1894. But stories that occur before then had better not talk about a national Labor Day holiday. That reference simply was not in the vocabulary at the time. (Not unless they were talking about trying to promote one, anyway.)

Memorial Day, on the other hand, started out as Decoration Day. It was called that because it was dedicated to decorating the graves of fallen servicemen. People gradually started calling it Memorial Day, especially after World War II, and the name became official in 1967. It was originally observed on May 30, regardless of the day of the week. Then, in 1968, in a quest for three-day weekends, Congress moved it to the last Monday in May. Anyone who includes Memorial Day in a historical novel needs to be award of this history.

So what made me think about historical terminology now? I am currently researching a book that takes place during World War I. But I can’t call it that because, at the time, nobody knew there would be a World War II. In fact, some people called it “the war to end all wars.” Obviously, they were wrong. During that war, and up until there was a second world war to make this one the first, people called it “the war in Europe” or “the Great War” or simply “the war.” In writing my story, I need to use the same terminology that my characters would have used.

Because the wrong vocabulary tells the world that you don’t care about historical accuracy.

__________

The picture at the top of this post shows an early Labor Day parade. I couldn’t find an exact year or location for the photo, but it is in the public domain because of its age.

Labor Day Origins

 

As mentioned in my last post, one of my as yet unpublished stories takes place during the Pullman Strike of 1894. My research for it uncovered some history about Labor Day, so this is a good time to share that information with you.

The first known celebration of Labor Day in the U.S. was organized by labor unions and occurred in New York City on September 5, in 1882. In 1887, Oregon was the first to make it an official state holiday, and other states soon followed. But it took the Pullman Strike to turn it into a national holiday.

In July 1894, President Cleveland ordered federal troops in to break up the strike, which was disrupting the U.S. mails. People still argue about his motives and whether it was the right response, but that isn’t the subject of this post and I won’t accept any comments on that issue. In any event, President Cleveland felt the need to smooth things over with the labor unions. He apologized by making the first Monday of September a federal holiday.

And we have been celebrating it as Labor Day ever since.

__________

The photo at the top of this post shows an early Labor Day parade. I couldn’t find an exact year or location for the photo, but it is in the public domain because of its age.

Not What It Used to Be

The job market isn't what it used to be. And I, for one, am grateful.

I know there are many unemployed people who are desperately searching for any job at all, and I don't want to minimize their plight. But this post is aimed at those of us who are currently employed or are retired after a long career.

As we celebrate Labor Day, we honor all who work in factories, fields, offices, classrooms, or at other job sites. Hard work and dedicated workers abound in today's work environment. But as I look back at earlier times, I realize that workers used to have a much harder life.

Here is a description of laundry workers in 1939.

The clanging of metal as the pistons bang into the sockets, the hiss of steam, women wearily pushing twelve pound irons, women mechanically tending machines, one, button half of the shirt done, two, top finished, three, sleeves pressed and the shirt is ready for the finishers, that is the scene that greeted me as I stood in the Laundry's ironing department.

Shirts, thousands of white shirts that produce such a dazzling glare that the women who work in this department wear dark glasses to protect their eyes. The heat is almost unbearable; there seems to be gushes of damp heat pushed at you from some invisible force in the mechanism of the machine. The smooth shiny faced women work in silence, occasionally dropping a word here and there, slowly wiping away dripping persperation, then back to the machines, to the heavy irons without any outward show of emotion--no protest.
 

Yes, there are still some backbreaking and dangerous jobs and a lot of sweaty and monotonous ones. But most of us forget how good we have it.

Labor Day should be a time to remember.

__________

NOTE: The quote is from a manuscript compiled as part of the Federal Writers' Project in 1936-1940. These manuscripts are government-created documents and are available on the Library of Congress' website. WPA Life Histories. The excerpt is from "Laundry Workers" by Vivian Morris and is Item 208 on the New York list of American Life History manuscripts.

The photograph is from an earlier time and a different place but was the best illustration I could find to go with the text. I got the photo from Wikimedia Commons, which describes it as a 1901 photograph of Charvet's model laundry in Paris, photographer unknown. The photograph is in the public domain because of its age.