Subject Focus: History of Labor Day in Detroit

Few cities are more closely tied to the labor movement than Detroit. From the beginning, Labor Day in Detroit was about worker demonstration, which took the form of a parade. The city's first Labor Day celebration was held on August 16, 1884 in Recreation Park, where 50,000 spectators turned out for the celebration. Here is the earliest Labor Day Parade image from the Reuther's collection, showing Randolph Street in downtown Detroit circa 1890s.

In its early years, the parade was used to voice the concerns of a fledgling labor movement, and to celebrate the progress made by organized labor. As the holiday evolved nationally toward a more political focus, Detroit took on an important new role. After Harry Truman declared his intention to run for president at the 1948 Labor Day festivities (see image below), Detroit’s celebration became the launching point for Democratic presidential campaigns. Harry Truman, Adlai Stevenson, John Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson each announced their presidential intentions in Detroit.

Labor Day enjoyed tremendous support from Detroiters during this period, but the enthusiasm was short lived. As the city lost its population to the suburbs in the 1960s, interest in the holiday's annual parade faded. Attendance barely reached 6,000 in 1966 and dropped even further during the 1970s. The parade was canceled until 1981 when a group of surviving pioneers of Detroit's labor movement resurrected the tradition.

For more information concerning Labor Day in Detroit please reference these resources:

1. The Virtual Motor City - Browse by Subjects - Labor Day
2. The Virtual Motor City - Labor Day -- Michigan -- Detroit
3. The Virtual Motor City - Labor Day -- Michigan -- Detroit -- 1890-1900
4. The Virtual Motor City - Labor Day -- Michigan -- Detroit -- 1930-1940
5. The Virtual Motor City - Labor Day -- Michigan -- Detroit -- 1940-1950
6. The Reuther Library Web site - Browse by Category - Labor Day