The Idea of an Essay, Volume 3

184 The Idea of an Essay: Volume 3 The Rise and Fall of the Knights of Labor: A Gilded Age Tale (1869-1949) Ethan Beck The Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor was one of the foremost labor unions during some of the most turbulent years of the Gilded Age labor movement. During this period, labor organizations were not only struggling for livable wages, but for regulations on child labor, safer working conditions, and an eight- hour workday to replace the average twelve-hour day. The Knights fought in the thick of these and other labor issues of the Gilded Age. Over the history of the organization, the Knights of Labor battled against the typical perceptions of labor in America and foreshadowed the coming changes to the labor movement through its revolutionary tactics and relentless efforts for the betterment of workers. The Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor sprung out of the demise of the Philadelphia-basedGarment Cutters Association (GCA). In 1869, Uriah Stephens, frustrated by the failings of this defunct group, resolved to form a new labor organization. Carrol Wright, a contemporary of Stephens, wrote that on Thanksgiving Day, 1869, Stephens gathered several former members of the GCA to propose a new organization designed to capitalize on the few successes and learn from the many mistakes of the Garment Cutters Association (139). According to Stephens, one of the principle causes for the failings of the Garment Cutters had been public reprisals and personal attacks against its members. Stephens resolved to remedy this issue with strict secrecy, which he believed was the only way to protect labor organizations from the backlash of both the public and the interests of business. He borrowed from his training as a Freemason to create complicated initiation rituals and passwords (Wright 142). However, there was a double purpose to the secrecy: Stephens believed that secrecy and ceremony would not only help