knights of labor
The successes and failures of the Knights of Labor, have generated many controversial issues that have helped shape the North American labor movement. The Knights of Labor were originally part of the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada when it was organized in 1886 but were expelled after the Berlin Convention in 1902. It was during these years that the Knights of Labor enjoyed their peak success, and also contributed to their disappearance before World War I. Unquestionably the Knights of Labor was a popular movement, and was growing at an alarming rate. The members put the labor movement on the map, reaching groups that had never been reached before and teaching things about land, money, immigration, and government ownership that had never been taught before. The Knights of Labor tried one way and failed, but is it appropriate to ask, who has found another way and succeeded? It is a mistake to think that the North American Labor movement has outgrown the Knights of Labor. In functions, organizations, and ideas, perhaps, but not in opinion. Emphasis on the principle of solidarity was the beginning of understanding the Knights of Labor. Strange names and titles, rituals, secrecy, forms of organization, and even activi
The people who led the strike were eventually arrested and tried in court. Out of the six people who were arrested, five were hanged and one escaped execution. These people eventually became known as martyrs. The full extent of the good that has been done by the Order of the Knights of Labor will never be known. Their failure to win another strike like the Jay Gould strike and the fact that they were deterred by the acts of violence by police, caused the Knights of Labor to slowly fade away. The Knights of Labor were formed with the view of securing the organization, and direction of power of the industrial classes. Anyone who was rich and did not labor was considered to be a "parisite" by the Knights of Labor and were not allowed to join. Stockbrokers, labor spies, and investors, were all examples of these "parasites". It was a common theory shared by all Knights that these people became rich because they were "robber barons" and stole from the people who labored. The Knights of Labor wanted to adopt a system which would secure to the laborer the fruits of his toil, and this much desired satisfaction could only be accomplished by the thorough unification of those who earned their daily bread by the sweat of their brow. When the Knights of Labor had dreamed of "what might be" and had taken significant steps toward the realization of their ideal vision, their efforts to succeed, along with the battles they encountered, should never be forgotten. Their capability to fantasize and those initial uncertain steps forward deserve to be remembered because of the possibilities they revealed. Their successes and failures throughout their existence inadvertently shaped the rights of today's working class employees. Their influence, although unknown by many, has and will continue to effect the continuing labor movement across North America. It was not the intention to create antagonism between labor and capital. The members realized that men who possessed wealth, in their haste and greed, often overlooked the interests of others less fortunate than they and frequently violated the rights of the people who were helpless and defenseless. Stephens and his co-laborers meant to uphold the dignity of labor and to affirm the honor of all who earned their daily bread in an honest way. They aimed for a healthy public opinion on the subject of labor and to receive a full and complete share of the values or capital it created. Furthermore, the organization was to support all laws that were made to harmonize labor and capital. Strikes were not encouraged, however, when it became necessary to make use of that weapon, it was intended that the Knights of Labor aid such members that might suffer loss. In short, the federation wanted to extend a helping hand to every branch of trade which contributed to the vast industrial forces of the country. Upon the Knights of Labor's peak of success also came the height of its wealth. The Knights of Labor bought its headquarters, a brownstone mansion at 814 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, from Mrs. Mathew Baird for approximately $50,000. The organization also bought the stables surrounding the house and some of the furnishings. The description of the house, as broadcast to the Order and the public, left the impression that the general officers had done themselves extremely well. On May 3, 1886, in Chicago, police fired into a crowd of strikers at a tractor factory. It was here that the sound of a bomb did more injury to the good name of labor than all of t
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Approximate Word count = 2384
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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