Knights of Labor
The Knights of Labor ( German : Knights of Labor ) in the January 1, 1869 Philadelphia , Pennsylvania founded, was one of the most important American labor organizations of the 19th century.
As a kind of secret brotherhood , The Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor called, which was Knights of Labor of seven members of Schneider craft in 1869 in Philadelphia , USA founded. Between 1878 and 1881 it was gradually opened to people of all manufacturing professions, only factory workers and business owners, bankers, lawyers , speculators, stock market traders and liquor dealers were excluded. As a result of this, and by renouncing previous secrecy rituals, the size and influence of the organization from 1878 grew rapidly. In its most successful period around 1886 it had an estimated 700,000 members.
The Knights of Labor were the first attempt to establish a union open to all in the United States. After struggles for direction, mismanagement and unsuccessful strikes, the union lost many of its members after 1886, sank into insignificance at the end of the 19th century and was finally dissolved.
history
prehistory
In the 1820s, craftsmen began to organize their protest against the increased use of unskilled or semi-skilled workers in factories in the northeastern United States and to found the first unions. The unions were still only organized locally, which led to around fifty local unions being founded in Philadelphia and New York alone by 1836 ; nationwide they could no longer be counted. With the need for organization, the need to form and organize nationally also increased. The National Trades' Union , which in 1836 already had around 300,000 members, took a first step in this direction . But the economic crisis of 1837 did not spare the unions either. They lost most of their membership, while the National Trades' Union was eventually dissolved for lack of further support from its members.
founding
Uriah Smith Stephens (1821-1882), a tailor by profession andengaged in the sameuntil the dissolution of the Garment Cutters' Association in Philadelphia, got together with eight other members of his profession at the end of 1869 to found a new association as a replacement. With his own religious mysticism , he influenced the association and led it in a kind of Masonic tradition with corresponding rituals . He believes that all members should have equal rights, regardless of belief, political affiliation or race. Despite this openness, secrecy to the outside world was a duty - protection at times when employers used to break resistance with violence. In contrast to the other unions, the organization had weathered the economic crisis of 1873 extremely well, probably due to its peculiarity. When there was a need for workers' organizations again due to the economic upswing in 1878, the Knights of Labor experienced an enormous influx. Under the leadership of Stephens, the organization grew to around 9,000 members by 1878.
The attraction that the brotherhood-led trade union had at the time did not only arise from its rituals, but also from its teaching of values. So were responsibility , personal integrity , sincerity , activism , knightly honor , male courage and the assumption of family responsibilities estimated characteristics .
Ascent
Stephens , now more interested in politics and involved in the Greenback Party , resigned in 1879 in a successful second attempt from the leadership of the union and paved the way for Terence Vincent Powderly (1849-1924), who now led the Knights of Labor up Held in 1893. Powderly joined the Knights in 1874 , became their Master Workman two years later , and then took over the leadership of the union as Grand Master Workman in 1879. In 1881 he abolished confidentiality , made sure that Noble and Holy Order disappeared from the signature, and allowed women and blacks as members. Under his leadership, 135 producer and consumer cooperatives were established by union members. As a concession to the Catholic Church, he banned religious references from association rituals and, although he generally spoke out against strikes, led the Knights of Labor in their first successful strike with a signal effect. After the Knights of Labor had prevailed in great solidarity in the strike of 1885 in the southwest of the USA against the Wabash Railroad of the "railroad baron" Jay Gould , the union got extremely popular. From now on it was the focus of national interest and from 1885 to 1886 the number of those organized rose from around 100,000 to around 700,000.
The motto of the organization was also very popular:
" Hat is the most perfect government in which an injury to one is the concern of all "
"That is the most perfect state power in which an injury to one is the concern of all."
which comprises a pentagram executed logo graced the Knights.
Decline
When there was another strike against one of Jay Gould's railroad companies ( Missouri Pacific Strike ) in March 1886 , violent clashes and property damage led to the deployment of the army. Then had Gould just waiting to make true to his announcement and to break the union. Gould successfully used scabs and detectives against the unionized workers. The initial popular support for the strike turned into rejection at the latest after the use of violence. The mood also changed among the members of the union itself. After the unsuccessful strike, the violent clashes on the Haymarket in Chicago that same year , which resulted in a bomb being thrown into the crowd, disillusioned its members, including the Knights of Labor , even though the Knights of Labor were not involved Managements .
But in the end it all came together: criticism of the autocratic structures, mismanagement, unsuccessful strikes, wing fights, a lack of trust in a national union organization and the establishment of a rival union, the American Federation of Labor , ultimately led to massive resignations. By 1890, the Knights of Labor had fewer than 100,000 members.
Powderly , who had not only represented union interests in the six years of his union leadership, but also pursued a few secondary jobs, was removed from office in 1893 due to disputes over direction and alleged weak leadership and replaced by James Sovereign . John W. Hayes , general secretary and treasurer of the Knights of Labor , Daniel De Leon , leader of the New York Socialists, and James Sovereign himself, leader of the Midwestern farmers, overthrew Powderly and led the Knights of Labor further into insignificance until finally 1916 their main office also had to be closed.
aims
- Introduction of the eight-hour day
- Abolition of child labor
- Abolition of convict labor
- equal pay for equal work
- Abolition of private banks
- Nationalization of railways and telephone traffic
- Formation and support of cooperatives
- public land planning to support farmers, not speculators
- a tiered income tax
criticism
Despite all the openness to grant women and blacks equal rights in the organization, which was astonishing at the time, Chinese workers were excluded from membership. Fearing that Chinese workers might steal jobs from American workers and lower wages, the Knights of Labor actively supported the Chinese Exclusion Act .
Union leader
- Uriah Smith Stephens from 1869 to 1879
- Terence Vincent Powderly from 1879 to 1893
- James Sovereign from 1893 to 1901
- John W. Hayes from 1901 to 1917
literature
- Norman J. Ware : The Labor Movement in the United States 1860-1895 (A Study in Democracy) . Vintage Books , Toronto 1929 (English).
- Edward Pessen : Most Uncommon Jacksonians: The Radical Leaders of the Early Labor Movement . State University of New York Press , New York 1967, ISBN 0-87395-129-8 (English).
- Melvyn Dubofsky : Industrialism and the American Worker 1865-1920 . Harlan Davidson Inc. , Wheeling, Illinois 1969, ISBN 0-88295-925-5 (English).
- Gary M. Fink : Biographical Dictionary of American Labor Leaders . Greenwood Press , Westport, Connecticut 1974, ISBN 0-8371-7643-3 (English).
- Melvyn Dubofsky, Foster Rhea Dulles : Labor in America - A History . Harlan Davidson Inc. , Wheeling, Illinois 2004, ISBN 0-88295-998-0 (English).
- Steve Leikin : The Practical Utopians - American Workers and the Cooperative Movement in the Gilded Age . Wayne State University Press , Detroit 2005, ISBN 0-8143-3128-9 (English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Barrels, Boycotts, and Labor ... Oh My . In: Digital Scholarship Lab . The University of Richmond , 2015, accessed March 27, 2019 .
- ↑ Dubofsky : industrialism and the American Worker 1865-1920 . 1969.
- ↑ Knights of Labor . Ohio History Connection , accessed March 27, 2019 .
- ^ The Origins of American Trade Unionism . In: Digital History . S. Mintz, S. McNeil , accessed March 27, 2019 .
- ^ Pessen : Most Uncommon Jacksonians: The Radical Leaders of the Early Labor Movement . 1967.
- ↑ Ware : The Labor Movement in the United States 1860–1895 (A Study in Democracy) . 1929.
- ↑ Bob James : The KNIGHTS OF LABOR and THEIR CONTEXT . In: Takver.com . January 25, 2000, accessed March 27, 2019 .
- ↑ James C. Maroney : Knights of Labor . In: Handbook of Texas Online . Texas State Historical Association , June 15, 2010, accessed March 27, 2019 .
- ^ Ruth Alice Allen : The great Southwest strike . University of Texas , Austin April 8, 1942 (English).
- ↑ Knights of Labor . In: The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia . 6th ed . Columbia University Press , 2012 ( online [accessed March 27, 2019]).
- ↑ John W. Hayes . The American Catholic Research Center and University Archives , archived from the original on July 23, 2008 ; accessed on September 20, 2012 (English, original website no longer available).
- ↑ Knights of Labor: An Early Labor Organization . In: United States History . Online Highways LLC , accessed March 27, 2019 .
- ^ Carlos A. Schwantes : From Anti-Chinese Agitation to Reform Politics . The Legacy of the Knights of Labor in Washington and the Pacific Northwest . Pacific Northwest Quarterly , 1997 (English).