AMERICAN FEDERATION OF

LABOR AND KNIGHTS OF

LABOR

LILY JOSEPHS & DOVY EHRENREICH

MAIN EVENTS

1866- Nation Labor Union forms

1869- Knights of Labor forms as a “Noble and

Holy Order” 1877- Railroad workers strike nation wide

1886- Haymarket Square Bombing (Chicago),

American Federation of Labor forms

KNIGHTS OF LABOR

It was made up of Reformers who sought “equal pay for equal work” They believed that every man should be “his own master” and also The Knights recruited members without regard for race, color, or gender They advocated boycotts and arbitration instead of strikes, which they considered barbaric. They supported political reform, a graduated income tax and other measures. The special interests of craft unions eventually broke the Knights, and they were also damaged in the public eye by the activities of radicals and anarchists, as occurred in the Haymarket riot They called for an 8-hour day to spread out jobs and reduce fatigue that resulted in accidents

MORE INFO! Secret society in 1869 Picked up where the National Union left off because they

survived the depression United skilled and unskilled laborers in the countryside

and in cities into one group Unlike the NLU (Nation Labor Union) it allowed blacks &

women Won many strikes but had difficulty bargaining because

it represented a diverse group of workers The Union didn’t exist for very long because it’s

members were associated with anarchists and the Haymarket Square bombing.

“An injury to one is an injury to all” was a motto said by the Knights of Labor which showed their compassion and brotherhood towards each other and a testament to their unity

AM

ER

ICA

N F

ED

ER

ATIO

N O

F L

AB

OR

AKA the AFL

Quietly grew in power by

coordinating efforts for independent

labor unions

Unlike the other unions it

represented only skilled white male

craftsmen in the cities which was

their limitation

Despite that they survived the

Gilded Age and became one of the

most powerful labor unions in the

WHOLE new century

GOALS FOR THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF

LABOR:

1. “Job ownership”—the right to continue to

work without being laid off arbitrarily

2. Immigration curbs to reduce the amount of

cheap labor

3. Relief from technological unemployment.

4. Labor legislation.