Why do Americans and Canadians celebrate Labor Day? -Kenneth C. Davis

为什么美国人和加拿大人要庆祝劳动节？ -Kenneth C. Davis

翻译人员: Martin Ma 校对人员: Nan Hu

How's this for a strange idea:

这是一个多么奇怪的想法

a day off from work in honor of work itself?

为了庆祝工作本身而放一天假？

Actually, that is what Labor Day,

实际上，这就是劳动节的来历，

celebrated in the United States and Canada

在美国和加拿大人们庆祝的节日

on the first Monday of every September,

每个九月的第一个星期一

is all about.

这就是所谓的劳动节

The first American Labor Day

美国的第一个劳动节

was celebrated in New York City

是在纽约举行庆祝的

on September 5th, 1882,

在1882 年的9月5日，

as thousands of workers and their families

成千上万的工人和他们的家人，

came to Union Square for a day in the park.

来到联合广场的公园度过这一天

It was not a national holiday

这其实不是一个国家法定假日

but had been organized by a union

但是为了感谢工人和他们的努力拼搏

to honor workers and their hard efforts

工会就把它组织成了

with a rare day of rest,

一个难得的休息日，

halfway between July 4th and Thanksgiving.

介于7月4日（美国的独立日）和感恩节中间

There were picnics and a parade,

届时会有野炊和游行

but there were also protests.

但是也会有抗议活动

The workers had gathered,

工人们聚集在一起

not just to rest and celebrate,

不仅仅是为了放松和庆祝

but to demand fair wages,

而且也会要求涨薪水

the end of child labor,

不要使用童工

and the right to organize into unions.

以及组织工会的权利

During the period known as

在工业革命期间

The Industrial Revolution,

许多工作是非常艰难、

many jobs were difficult, dirty and dangerous.

脏并且非常危险的

People worked for twelve hours,

人们一天工作12小时

six days a week,

每周工作六天

without fringe benefits,

却没有额外的福利

such as vacations, health care and pensions,

比如假期，医疗保险和津贴，

and if you were young, chances are

如果你是年轻人

you were doing manual labor

你就很有可能是在做体力活

instead of your ABCs and fractions.

而不是学习语言和数学

Children as young as ten

即便是只有十岁的孩子

worked in some of the most hazardous places,

也在一些最危险的地方工作

like coal mines or factories filled with boiling vats

比如煤矿或者那些放满大热水桶的工厂里

or dangerous machines.

或者是在危险的机器上

Trying to win better pay, shorter hours

在美国和加拿大，工人们为了获得较好的薪水，

and safer conditions

较短的工作时间和

workers had begun to form labor unions

较安全的工作环境

in America and Canada,

开始组建了劳工组织

but the companies they worked for

但是他们的雇主公司

often fought hard to keep unions out

却经常想法设法让工会不能干涉

and to supress strikes.

并且抑制工人罢工。

At times, this led to violent battles

有时,这就导致了工人和

between workers and business owners

老板之间的暴力斗争

with the owners often backed up by the police,

但是老板经常是得到警察支持的，

or even the military.

甚至是军队的支持。

In the following years,

在接下来的几年里,

the idea of Labor Day caught on in America

劳动节的庆祝开始在美国流行起来

with official celebrations reaching 30 states.

官方庆祝的州达到了30多个。

But then came the violent

但随之而来的是暴力冲突

Haymarket Square Riot of 1886,

1886年的秣市广场暴乱

which led to the deaths of several policemen

导致了芝加哥的几个警察

and workers in Chicago

和工人死亡

and the execution of four union leaders.

并且处死了四个工会的领导者

After that, many labor and political groups

从那儿以后，世界上的许多工人

around the world

和政治团体

had begun to mark Haymarket Square on May 1st,

开始在5月1日纪念秣市广场暴乱

which became known as

这就是后来人们所熟知的

International Workers' Day.

国际劳动节。

In 1894, President Grover Cleveland

在1894年，格罗弗·克利夫兰总统

signed the law making Labor Day a

派遣12，000士兵去

federal holiday in America,

平息一场导致数人死亡的

only days after he had sent

暴力铁路罢工

12,000 soldiers to end

就在那之后没几天

a violent railroad strike

他签署了规定劳动节为联邦法定假日的法律议案

that resulted in the death of several people.

保留了原来的9月的那个日子

The original September date was kept,

（即九月的第一个星期一）

partly to avoid the more radical associations of May 1st.

部分原因是为了避免人们因与5月1日关联起来， 而形成更加激烈的冲突

Canada also created its Labor Day in 1894.

加拿大也在1894年规定了它的劳动节

But, in spite of this new holiday,

尽管确立这个新的节假日，

it would be a long time before the changes

但是工人愿望的实现，却花了相当

that workers wanted

长的一段时间

became a reality.

在1938，数百万人丢了工作的

In 1938, during the Great Depression

美国经济大萧条期间

that left millions without jobs,

富兰克林罗斯福总统

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

签署了一份法律议案

signed a law calling for an eight-hour work day,

呼吁每天工作八小时，

a five-day work week,

一周工作五天，

and an end to child labor,

以及禁止雇佣童工，

some of the first federal protections for American workers.

这份议案成为联邦保护工人权利的先列。

As America and Canada celebrate Labor Day,

在美国和加拿大庆祝劳动节时，

most of the two countries' children enjoy

这两个国家的大多数孩子

a day off from school.

也会有一天的假期。

But it is important to remember

但是请牢记

that there was a time that

曾经有那么一段时期

everyday was a labor day for children in America and Canada,

对美国和加拿大的孩子来说每天都是劳动日，

and unfortunately,

很不幸的是，

the same fact remains true

这样的情况，对世界其他地方的

for millions of children around the world today.

数百万孩子到现在仍然存在。