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Noble Order of the Knights of Labor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | K of L |
| Founder | Uriah S. Stephens |
| Founded | December 1869 |
| Dissolved | 1949 |
| Membership (1889) | ~700,000 |
| Political orientation | Socialism |
The Knights of Labor, officially the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor, was a labor organization in the United States.
History
The Knights of Labor was founded by Uriah S. Stephens in Philadelphia in 1869. It originally contained only garment workers but expanded to other trades in 1871. In 1878, it held its first national convention in Reading, Pennsylvania. In 1879, Stephens was succeeded by T.V. Powderley as leader.
The Knights of Labor participated in a general strike in 1886 for the eight-hour work day.[1] Following the Haymarket affair, authorities arrested the union's entire executive committees of Milwaukee as well as others from New York and Pittsburgh.[2]
J. R. Sovereign replaced T. V. Powderley as leader of the Knights of Labor in 1893.[1]
Membership
The Knights of Labor had 52,000 members in 1883, 111,000 in 1885, and 700,000 in 1886. 10% of its members were women and there were many Black members. Petty bourgeois were allowed in the organization as long as they did not exceed 25% of local membership.[1]
Program
The Knights of Labor proposed a program that included labor and land reforms and nationalization of banks, railroads, and telegraphs.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 William Z. Foster (1952). History of the Communist Party of the United States: 'The Socialist Labor Party (1876-1890); The Knights of Labor'.
- ↑ Albert Szymanski (1984). Human Rights in the Soviet Union: 'The Land of the Free' (p. 162). [PDF] London: Zed Books Ltd. ISBN 0862320186 [LG]