Knights Of Labor In The Gilded Age Essay

Rise of Labor in the Gilded Age Over the years, the various efforts of labor unions in American history have resulted in the improvements and consideration of civil rights in the workforce. Following the Industrial Revolution in the first half of the 19th century, labor, due to the industrialization and innovations of the Gilded Age, experienced a tremendous rise. As big corporations gained success from forming connections with other corporations, so laborers realized that they should do the same: in order to have their voices heard, they would need to band together and demand change. In the Gilded Age, the rise of labor caused the increase in demand for the creation of labor unions, such as the National Labor Union, the Knights of Labor,

Founded by Uriah S. Stephens, the Knights of Labor was a relatively selective labor union, excluding doctors, bankers, and lawyers, for they were “unproductive members of society”. The Knights of Labor met in local assemblies and had a loose organization. The Knights of Labor were in favor of many of the same things as the National Labor Union: they wanted an 8-hour workday and better working conditions. They also advocated for income taxes, paper money (as opposed to gold), and cooperative ownership of factories. Though what made the Knights of Labor unique was that it not only supported the reforms of the workplace, but it also promoted change in social issues. For instance, the union advanced equal rights between male and females. Not only did this include equal pay for both sexes, but it also entailed equal job opportunity for women. These tenets resulted in the increase in female membership (10%) in the Knights of Labor; the “Women’s Bureau of the Knights” was even formed. Additionally, the Knights of Labor allowed African Americans to join the union, except for in the South (The Jim Crow laws still affected Blacks in the South). Finally, the union were in favor of the Prohibition, a movement that deems the consumption of alcohol illegal. The Knights of Labor, though they valued peace, occasionally resorted to strikes and riots. Many of their members were gained from their strikes,

The name was soon changed to the American Federation of Labor; this successful union was founded by Samuel Gompers in 1886. The AFL was a large alliance of many unions combined into one. This union practiced “Bread & Butter” unionism - the focusing on practical issues that workers had. The AFL pushed for common workplace reforms such as shorter, regulated workdays, safer working conditions, etc. In addition, the AFL called for workmen's compensation: if a worker gets hurt on the job, that person and their family should be entitled to a sum money. This will aid the family with their financial needs, especially if the worker is too injured to come back to work or if he dies on the job. Centered on practical issues, they were not very interested in social issues such as child labor, racial discrimination, or equal rights for males and females in the workplace. In fact, the AFL didn’t want females to join the workforce, claiming it would drive down wages for all other workers. Despite this, women were still hired, and when they were hired, they were given equal pay. The AFL was more selective than the Knights of Labor and the NLU - this might have contributed to why the AFL was more successful than the other two. Gompers wanted acceptance into the organization to be based on skill (aka “craft unionism”); the AFL would only accept