Labor Day has become more of a way of marking the end of summer than a holiday celebrating the hard-working men and women who are responsible for so much of what our country has become.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the holiday was conceived in the late 19th century — a time when “labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.”

Labor Day is always observed on the first Monday in September to celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers.

The identity of the founder of Labor Day is a bit murky. The Labor Department states that some records show that in 1882, Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, suggested setting aside a day for a “general holiday for the laboring classes.”

But many believe that machinist Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey, founded the holiday.

It was President Grover Cleveland who signed the law creating a national Labor Day. The country’s first Labor Day parade was held in New York City in 1894, though state a local celebrations preceded the national holiday.

Those early parades aimed to exhibit “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations.” Some were followed by festivals organized for the enjoyment of workers and their families.

Later on, speeches by prominent men and women were featured during the celebrations.

“American labor has raised the nation’s standard of living and contributed to the greatest production the world has ever known and the labor movement has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy,” the department’s “History of Labor Day” web page states. “It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.”

Labor Day celebrations today look very different than those early parades of workers marching in the streets along with horse-drawn floats. instead of being a day set aside to celebrate workers, many Americans now observe an entire weekend of leisure activities.

Families across the nation gather for cookouts, reunions and some of the final days of enjoying the summer sunshine. Some communities still hold parades, but many other events also take the spotlight.

Locally, the Fort Henry Days celebration and re-enactment is a Labor Day weekend tradition at Oglebay Resort. It recalls the Battle of Fort Henry, an American Revolutionary War battle fought at the site of modern-day Wheeling.

No longer does Wheeling host its Vintage Raceboat Regatta, but such an event is still held on the Ohio River at New Martinsville.

Many families go camping or fishing or boating — simply enjoying time together and a final opportunity to make the most of their favorite outdoor activities.

But while they are enjoying leisure time as the founders of the holiday originally intended, are they truly celebrating Labor Day? Do they remember the roots of the observance and the struggles that American workers endured in order to obtain safe working conditions and a standard 40-hour work week. Do they know that the children they are having fun with today could have been hard at work in a factory 100-150 years ago?

It’s hard to say how many people think about the true meaning of the holiday as they take advantage of the great “Labor Day Sale” prices on furniture, home goods and more each September.

Perhaps more importantly, do they realize that there are millions of Americans who do not get the weekend — or even the holiday itself — off from work?

As you go about your holiday celebrations, keep in mind that the clerk who checked you out at the grocery store and the cook and server who prepared and delivered your meal to your table when you stopped at a restaurant on your way home are still hard at work, regardless of the date on the calendar. There are journalists still reporting the news, lineman still responding to downed power lines, police officers still patrolling our streets and highways and millions of others who continue to perform their jobs despite the fact that other Americans are celebrating.

If you come across these folks this weekend, offer an extra generous tip if appropriate, or at least offer a kind word or be patient if something goes awry. We all deserve a break.