Founded on December 26, 1869 in Philadelphia The Knights of Labor was initiated by Uriah Smith Stevens. The Despite what people think The Knights of Labor didn't really approve of immigration. They did however offer membership to unskilled workers, women, African American, , craftsmen. The Knight of Labor held a strong disapproval of people such as the gamblers, lawyers, bankers, , and a few other groups of people. These people were mainly looked down upon because the Knight did not believe of partake in political practices.
Starting off as a spin off of Freemasonry KOL grew rapidly, Membership reached 600,000 in 1885 and The organization reached its apex in 1886, when under Terence V. Powderly its membership reached a total of 702,000. The Knights of Labor started out a Secret Society which consisted of rituals oaths and secrecy. A lot of the first members of the KOL were also masons with very strong partially or non political foot holds this was the main reason for the rapid growth of The Knight of Labor. This was also the reason for the amount of respect members were treated with.
The Knights of Labor aided various groups in strikes and boycotts, winning
important strikes on the Union Pacific. They are credited with
helping to establish eight hour working days, they helped raise the
pay for gold-minors (major source of employment in 19th century), and they
played an enormous role in bringing about the changes in the law on children
and how long they can be worked, a lot of those laws are still in effect
today. Despite all the good associated with the Knights if Labor
it is only right to mention a what perhaps was their blackest hour Chicago
on May 4, 1886 the Haymarket Square Riot. The riot started as march
showing support for eight hour work days. A bomb went off and a riot
ensued seven policemen, and four other people were killed. Over a
hundred people were wounded.
The Knights of Labor did not cater to the upper class people, the KOL
was developed to help the common working class. And that s exactly
what it did making major contributions to American life as we know it.
Today the Knights of Labor are nothing more than a memory having had only
100,000 member and by the early 1900’s was already extinct but they left
behind a model for all of the unions across America as well as the rest
of the world
