The Art of Labor
"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.“ — Republican President Abraham Lincoln, Message to Congress, December 3, 1861 Labor Day, 1942 by Charles Henry Alston, the first African American supervisor for the WPA Federal Art Project Today, in honor of Labor Day in the United States, Denise Oliver Velez posted a moving tribute to work and workers on the Daily Kos. Inspired by the words, images and music that Velez put together, I have spent much of this Labor Day in deep consideration of the struggle and sacrifice of the brave laborers who worked together to build this country. Peter Clothier on his site, Vote Obama 2012 , has also been considering the meaning of this holiday. Clothier writes: "How much thought, I wonder,...