Craftsmen's Spectacle By Craig Heron And Steve Penfold: Article Analysis

In the article, “The Craftsmen’s Spectacle: Labour Day Parades in Canada, the Early Years,” by Craig Heron and Steve Penfold, the main topic was about the changes during the first and second industrial revolution in regards to the structure of the Labor Day celebrations and what that meant toward the workers’ movement itself. Throughout the article, Heron and Penfold discuss the importance of the parade procession on the national holiday and what certain symbols, banners, uniforms, and events meant toward the workers’ movement and what they strove to prove to the public. The creation of Labor Day was to be a celebratory holiday for workers’ movements throughout North America, to publically show solidarity together over the importance of wage-earners

The year 1894 was only the official holiday for the entire nation, but labor days and craftsmen parades had already been established nationally years before. Labor Day, by becoming nationally approved, helped to sate union movements that were crying out for public recognition of the wage-earners and the importance of their labor, and how it helped to release pressure of work in the new capitalist industrial society (capitalist industry is better?). This holiday, though state approved, was not state sponsored, depending on the labor union leaders to organize and pay for these parades and events that were to commemorate the usefulness of wage-earners in this new society. It was a problem from labor leaders due to their smaller unions, since each labor day parade was just a local celebration with no aid from other unions or leagues from around Canada, unemployment, strikes, and fleeting number of members by the twentieth century. (3) Though it was difficult, many cities were able to have parades and athletic events to celebrate Labor during the nineteenth century. It was a way for many to form stronger bonds within the community and with other unions, and to showcase how useful craftsmen