Knights Of Labor Dbq

Initially a fraternal organization providing social events, sporting competitions, and education for working men and their families, the Knights of Labor soon advocated for the creation of cooperatives where members would serve as worker-owners who have input on the running of factories in hopes of making changes for the better of the working man. The Knights of Labor believed that the “alarming development and aggression of aggregated wealth, which, unless checked, will inevitably lead to the pauperization and hopeless degradation of the toiling masses” could only be stopped “through the unification of labor”. The Knights were open to all “producers” including skilled and unskilled workers and owners as well as women and African-Americans. Bankers, doctors, liquor manufacturers, lawyers, and stockholders were excluded because of their supposed lack in productive contribution to society. The union advocated for a national eight hour workday, the expulsion of Asian workers, the prohibition of immigration from the Far East, and an end to child labor. The Knights worked to make changes for all workers, regardless of affiliation with the group, and opposed strikes and boycotts. As the Knights of Labor began to fade away, another organization arose called the American Federation of

The Knights of Labor represented the pinnacle of the up lift labor movement. They, at one time, had membership that numbered in the hundreds of thousands and nearly hit a million members. This organization was unique in its time because it espoused many of the ideals we hold today as statutory for an ethical and equitable society as well as employee employer relationship. The Knights of Labor did not begrudge industry or the capitalism, more over they were less of a concern than the organizations larger goal to protect and promote social equity, in labor and society, for the common man.

Although many say that the bombing that caused the Haymarket Riot did not help the cause of the protestors, I claim that the bombing helped the eight hour work day movement by striking fear into the employers, which

Everyone was frustrated with work conditions and this led to the formations of unions around the country. The Knights of Labor was a very popular union that led the first major strike in the United States. The year was 1885 and Jay Gould’s Missouri Pacific Railroad was the target. The owner, Jay Gould, had recently cut wages drastically and fired union members. The Knights led the strike and eventually succeeded to improve wages for the railroad workers. With this great accomplishment the Knights gained

The Knights of Labor was a standard labor union comprised of individual workers across the nation. They were inclusive in terms, employing both skilled workers in crafts industries as well as unskilled laborers such as coalminers. (Rayback, 1966, p. 168). They had limited political objectives such as the eight-hour workday and the prohibition of child and convict labor. Their broader objectives were social: to improve the image and social status of the working man.

Towards the end of the nineteenth century (1860-1900), America’s economy had gone through a transformation, where industries were developed. The rapid growth of industrialization was caused by many factors, including: abundant natural resources, educated labor force, and the encouragement of technological innovation. Because of new technological innovations, new machines were created for “easier” mass production. The new economy in which industrialization created, resulted in wealth in many Americans; however, there were many downsides to this; factories polluted the air, workers labored in dangerous conditions, and long hours. Because of these downsides to industrialization, labor unions developed: The Knights of Labor, the Industrial Workers of the World, and the American Federation of Labor.

After the Civil War (1861-1865), agriculture was no longer the main base of Americas economy. The factories that the Union built were repurposed for more profitable intentions. Because of this and the ambition of a few powerful men, America took a swift turn to becoming more industrialized. While the nation was growing, so were the railroads and small businesses. Americans no longer worked for themselves but for an employer. If a business couldn’t provide the best product at the cheapest prices they went bankrupt and were

The 1800s is characterized with the rise of industrial America. As technological advances were introduced to industry, unskilled labor also rose in accordance to the rise in factories. However, this rise also introduced several labor unions such as the Knights of Labor, which organized a series of protests and riots. The labor unions had good intentions, aiming to lower the average work hours for workers, as well as increase their wages. However, their methods which involved riots and protests, were altogether not effective, and ended up being detrimental to their cause. Between 1875 and 1900, labor unions surged and were temporarily successful; however, their methods would prove detrimental to their cause overtime, leading to their

The Knights of Labor represented the pinnacle of the up lift labor movement. They, at one time, had membership that numbered in the hundreds of thousands and nearly hit a million members. This organization was unique in its time because it espoused many of the ideals we hold today as statutory for an ethical and equitable society as well as employee and employer relationships. The Knights of Labor did not begrudge industry or capitalism, moreover they were less of a concern than the organization’s larger goal to protect and promote social equity in labor and society, for the common man.

During the rise of industrialization, the United States had just ended the Civil War and was starting to move on. People had an aspiration at this time to make a more than decent living for themselves, and the economy was at the right spot for this to be possible. This time period in American History is referred to as the Gilded Age, termed by the famous author Mark Twain, which simply means covered in gold; however, Twain did not necessarily mean this in a good way. He believed right under the surface of this gold plating was still problems with the American society that didn’t look so appealing. This essay will discuss how practices during the rise of industrialization during the Gilded Age shaped the American work and labor force.

This onslaught of capitalism directly revolutionized modern industrialism as well as the industrial city. Machines morphed the predominately agricultural nation to a herd of factory and corporate workers. Swarms of people, both native and immigrant, flocked to major cities. “The present century has been marked by a prodigious increase in wealth-producing power. The utilization of steam and electricity, the introduction of improved processes and labor saving machinery, the greater subdivision and grander scale of production, the wonderful facilitation of exchanges, have multiplied enormously the effectiveness of labor.”(George, p.20) The major problem with this newfound industrialism was the way in which the workforce was treated. Capitalism was supposed to provide a way out, a way ascend the financial and social staircase, if you worked hard enough. This however was not the case, if you were a loyal, hardworking employee you simply got to keep your job, and if you were in any way injured or incompetent you were fired.

However, many of the business leaders were not willing to give in to the demands of fewer work hours and days or higher wages. The first effective American union was founded in 1869 by Uriah Stephens and was called The Knights of Labor. The goal of the union was to bring in all workers to unite and fight for their rights. In 1879, Terence Powderly took over the leadership of the union and gained notability by accepting almost all workers, including farm hands, factory workers, women, African Americans, and immigrants were welcome in the union, However, the union excluded white-collared workers, such as doctors, lawyers, bankers, and liquor dealers.The Knights of Labor became the largest in the country for a short time, gaining notoriety in 1884 and 1885 when union members organized successful strikes against the Southwest railroad companies. After the strikes, membership increased to approximately 100,000 members in 1884 to over 750,000 by 1886. The success of the Knights of Labor quickly faded as the union was unable to coordinate it's members activities due to the members coming from a variety of regions, industries, and ethnic backgrounds. And, although the railroad strikes assisted in the success of the union, Powderly avoided strikes believing that they threatened the union's public standing. The collapse of the union came in 1886 when workers in Chicago went on strike against the McCormick Harvester Company demanding eight-hour workdays. On May 3, 1886, four of the strikers were killed in a confrontation with the police. A rally was held the next day at the Haymarket Square in protest of the police actions. While attempting to break up this protest, a stick of dynamite was thrown at the police and killing seven officers and wounding dozens more. The police response was to fire their weapons at the crowd, killing four

During the time period 1875 to 1900, the labor unions failed miserably in their efforts to amend the working conditions their workers were under. During the 19th century, the Second Industrial Revolution and The Gilded Age were taking place. These were transmuting the way society was viewed and how people lived their everyday lives. During the labor movement, there were many different organizations and groups that advocated change. Two of those specific groups were the Knights of Labor and American Federation of Labor. The failure of those labor unions between 1875 and 1900 in the U.S. was mostly due to the union's actions, followed by problems within the unions, and people's response to the union.

At the same time, as we learned in class, America’s population grew because of labor mobility. People began to migrate from rural to urban areas, and from Europe to North America, in search of better economic opportunities, and to improve their lives. The job market became more and more competitive Hubert Gutman’s “Work, Culture, and Society in Industrializing America 1815-1919” sheds light on the struggle of farmers and tradesmen who were forced into unskilled labor positions during the industrial revolution and the many new immigrants that were finding their way to America Gutman states, “A factory worker in New

The American Federation of Labor was successfully able to negotiate wage increases for its members and enhance workplace safety for all workers. American Federation of Labor was more successful than the Knights of Labor because they used new organizational methods to manage the combined attack of employers and government authorities. American Federation of Labor would also secure the loyalty of its 1.4 million members by providing sickness, unemployment, and strike benefits, and burial insurance. American Federation of Labor emphasized higher wages, shorter working hours, and better working conditions. Employers continued to resist the union’s negotiations by employing immigrants that they could give lower wages to and attempting to speed up labor processes with new forms of organization. The unions within the American Federation of Labor knew that if they had more control of the labor market they would have the power. So the unions decided that limiting the number of available workers would keep their wages high. In 1892, the supervisor of the Carnegie Steel’s huge homestead complex, locked out his employees and said he would operate the plant with nonunion workers. In retaliation the workers surrounded the plant, the supervisor called in 300 armed Pinkerton guards which cause a 24 hour battle outside the plant. The supervisor requested the state