Labor Day, which marks the “unofficial” end of summer, occurs annually on the first Monday in September. Observed for more than a century in the United States, this national holiday “celebrates and honors the greatest worker in the world — the American worker,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio, provides an opportunity for you to test your knowledge of the American labor movement and the history of Labor Day.
1. In what year did Labor Day become a U.S. national holiday?
A: 1890
B: 1892
C: 1894
D: 1896
2. What was the name of the character who symbolized the working women of World War II in the famous “We Can Do It!” campaign?
A: Rosie O’Donnell
B: Rosie the Riveter
C: Rosie Greer
D: Rosie Ruiz
3. Which was the first U.S. state to make Labor Day a holiday?
A: New York
B: Ohio
C: Oklahoma
D: Oregon
4. According to the Department of Labor, in which country was the first Labor Day celebrated?
A: Canada
B: France
C: Germany
D: United States
5. According to the Department of Labor, in which city did the first American celebration of Labor Day occur?
A: Boston
B: Chicago
C: New York
D: Pittsburgh
6. Which organization planned the first Labor Day celebration in the United States?
A: The Illinois and Central Railroad
B: The Pullman Place Car Company
C: The American Railway Union
D: The Central Labor Union
7. Who was the leader of the American Railway Union during the Pullman Strike?
A: Eugene Levy
B: Eugene McCarthy
C: Eugene O’Neil
D: Eugene V. Debs
8. Which types of unions are regulated by the National Labor Relations Board, established in 1935?
A: Marital unions
B: Private sector unions
C: Public sector unions
D: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
9: Which congressional act banned union contributions to political candidates?
A: Taft-Hartley Act
B: Smoot-Hawley Act
C: Glass-Steagall Act
D: Landrum-Griffin Act
10: Walter Reuther was the fourth president of which labor union?
A: AFL-CIO
B: United Auto Workers
C: National Education Association
D: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
ANSWERS: 1-C, 2-B, 3-D, 4-A, 5-C, 6-D, 7-D, 8-B, 9-A, 10-B
