Knights+Of+Labor+Memorial

Knights of Labor Memorial
The Knights of Labor was a labor union established in 1869. It served as an umbrella organization for other unions that joined it. The Knights of Labor's founder was Uriah Stevens. At first, the Knights of Labor was a secret organization, but Terence Powderly ended the group's secrecy upon assuming control of the organization in 1879. Membership grew quickly, reaching approximately 700,000 members by 1886. The Knights of Labor was a rather inclusive group. It sought to unite together all "producers", (Producers included anyone that constructed a physical product in the course of their workday). The Knights of Labor welcomed factory workers and business owners into its ranks. The group rejected "nonproducers", (People who did not engage in physical labor, such as bankers, lawyers, and academics). The Knights of Labor sought to create a united front of producers versus the nonproducers. The organization even allowed women and African Americans to join. Together, the producers sought an eight-hour workday, an end to child labor, better wages, and improved working conditions in general. Under Powderly's leadership, the organization also sought to instill morality in its members, including providing support for the temperance movement.

The Knights of Labor sought to reach their goals primarily through boycotts and peaceful negotiations. Powderly mostly opposed strikes, believing that they only led to bloodshed and increased tensions. Other Knights of Labor leaders preferred to have strikes. After the Haymarket Square Riot in Chicago, Illinois, in 1886, the Knights of Labor declined as an effective organization. Powderly resigned as the organization's head in 1893, unable to bring the organization's membership together on how best to fight for improved conditions.

In Ohio, the Knights of Labor gained an impressive following. In 1880, the organization only had eight hundred members within the state. By 1887, seventeen thousand Ohio workers belonged to the group. Several successful strikes during the mid 1880s led to the Knights of Labor's growth. As the strikes proved successful, more workers flocked to the union movement. Interestingly, due to the Knights of Labor's opposition to strikes, autocratice structure and mismanagement, the organization experienced declining membership by the late 1880s and the early 1890s. Many of the Knights of Labor's disgruntled members joined the American Federation of Labor such as the industrail union and the craft. Even though the Knight of labor was nearly non-existent by the 1900, the Knight were able to maintain an office intill 1917. Erik Pfeil, Tevin Dean , Jason Donnelly

http://www.history.com/content/laborday/labor-leaders/knights-of-labor