TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Why Do Americans and Canadians Celebrate Labor Day?
In the United States and Canada, the first Monday of September is a federal holiday, Labor Day. Originally celebrated in New York City's Union Square in 1882, Labor Day was organized by unions as a rare day of rest for the overworked...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Celebrating Labor Day
[Free Registration/Login Required] A high school lesson plan using two primary source quotes to determine if working conditions have improved in the last 100 years.
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: How Labor Got Its Day
If you asked students what comes to mind first when they think of Labor Day, what do you think they would say? The last days of summer? A family picnic? Shopping the Labor Day sales? The purpose of this activity is to broaden and deepen...
Federal Reserve Bank
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia: Ten Mile Day [Pdf]
Using the book, Ten Mile Day, by Mary Ann Fraser, this lesson helps children understand division of labor, competition, and incentives in the workplace.
Utah State University
Teacher Link: A Day in the Life of an Employed Child
Ask your students how they would like working everyday instead of coming to school? This site features a lesson plan to help make students aware of child labor abuses throughout the world.
PBS
Pbs: Roman Empire of the 1st Century: Slaves, the Labor Force, and the Economy
In this lesson, students will examine the various social classes and learn about the critical role that slaves, freemen, and plebeians played in the day-to-day operations of the Roman Empire. Students will learn about the various social...
Library of Congress
Loc: For Teachers: Holidays: Themed Resources
A rich resource page with links to primary source information about a number of holidays and special days, such as presidential inaugurations.
Stanford University
Sheg: Document Based History: Reading Like a Historian: Albert Parsons Sac
[Free Registration/Login Required] Young scholars use primary source documents to investigate central historical questions. In this investigation, students read six different sources that provide insight into what happened at Haymarket...