How did the two-day weekend become standard, and who fought for it?

The two-day weekend wasn't a given; it was a hard-won negotiation between workers, religious groups, and employers^[5]. In the 19th century, workers often took 'Saint Monday' off to recover from the weekend, a practice factory owners despised for hurting productivity^[2][5]. Eventually, unions and religious groups pushed for a formal Saturday half-day to encourage 'rational recreation' and sobriety^[5].

Henry Ford helped cement the full two-day weekend in 1926 by closing his factories on Saturdays and Sundays, believing leisure time would make workers more productive and better consumers^[3][4]. This shift was finally mandated nationwide by the 1940 amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act^[3][4].