The knights of labor

the noble and holy order of the knights of labor (kol) was formed in 1869 in philadelphia. uriah s. stephens and a handful of tailors created this union to organize skilled and unskilled workers in the same union. the knights of labor offered membership to workers regardless of gender or race. in the early years, it was a secret organization because many workers who were openly in unions were fired. they created elaborate secret rituals drawn from the freemasons. by the early 1880s, they were a national force powerful enough to drop their secrecy.

the kol had ambitious goals. among these goals:

an eight-hour work day

end child labor

end the use of prison labor, which deprived other workers of jobs

equal pay for women

government ownership of railroads and telegraph lines

land policy that benefited settlers instead of speculators

a graduated income tax

although the kol initially opposed using strikes, they were common by the mid-1880s. the knights won strikes against the union pacific railroad in 1884 and the wabash railroad in 1885. but they failed to win the missouri pacific strike in 1886. that was the same year of the haymarket square riot, during which a bomb exploded, killing several policemen. soon the knights’ demands appeared to go against the american system of government and economy. opponents of the knights became more vocal. poor management, internal bickering, and feuds between skilled and unskilled workers eroded its support. by 1900, the knights of labor were virtually powerless, and other less radical unions became more popular.

the american federation of labor
samuel gompers had observed the knights of labor struggling. he knew that what workers wanted most were higher wages and improved working conditions. in 1886, gompers met with leaders from the masons’ union, the hatmakers’ union, and other craft unions to form the american federation of labor (afl). unlike the knights of labor, the american federation of labor did not seek to include unskilled workers. gompers believed the union would have more power if it represented only skilled workers. it also used strikes to force improvements for workers.

gompers recognized that support for the knights of labor had suffered because of the organization’s radical ideas. as a result, the american federation of labor pursued a more moderate course. it provided strike relief, or support, to striking workers so they could continue to provide for their families. successful strikes improve workers’ wages and reduced the length of their workweek.

by 1900, as the knights were declining, gompers’ union had over 500,000 skilled tradespeople in its ranks. he was seen as the leader of labor, and until the great depression, the afl was seen as the nation’s most important labor organization. the afl benefitted from gompers’ leadership and the realistic goals he set.

now select the correct responses to the following questions about the case study.

question 1(multiple choice worth 5 points)

which type of economic system was favored by small business owners?
controlled market
mixed economy
free market
planned economy