Labor Day was officially designated as a national holiday in 1894 to pay tribute to the contributions and achievements of hard working Americans. Widely unknown is that the holiday was finally recognized after several protests, strikes and backlash towards companies who had children as young as 5 on their payroll and most employees working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Labor Day was given as a day off merely as a concession. It would be decades later before labor laws would protect children and set standards for a 40-hour work week.