The 1st of May in France, explained to my children

1st May in France is not a day like any other. It is not a day when Dad simply doesn’t work. Nor is it a day when we give each other flowers. It is a day when we should simply remember that the way people work matters, and that work is not a universal value. The first time May Day was commemorated was in 1886 in the United States of America. On that day, many workers gathered to demand an eight-hour working day from their employers. In fact, many families believed that a day should be divided into three parts: eight hours of rest, eight hours of work and eight hours of leisure. At the time, people sometimes worked nearly 12 hours a day. In 1886, many achieved their goals. Others, however, had to go on strike. This led to violent demonstrations in Chicago, during which a bomb exploded amongst the police, causing many deaths. A few workers identified as anarchists—five, to be precise—were tried and sentenced to death despite the lack of clear evidence. At the same time, in France, a…