Thursday 20th June 2013 07:06 AM

September 25, 1789 - The first Congress of the United States adopted amendments to the Constitution, known collectively as the Bill of Rights. The first amendment guarantees the freedom of speech and “the right of the people peaceably to assemble,” the foundation underlying all workplace rights and today’s labor laws.

September 25, 1894 - The birthdate of playwright John Howard Lawson in New York City. Lawson authored several plays about the working class, including The International (1928) that depicts a world revolution by the proletariat, and Marching Song (1937), about a sitdown strike. In the late 1940s, Lawson became known as a member of the “Hollywood Ten,” artists who were blacklisted for their refusal to tell the House Committee on Un-American Activities about their political allegiances.