Notable Leaders and Organizations

• Knights of Labor (1869)- a group formed in Philadelphia that grew to become the largest labor organization of the nineteenth century. It included skilled and unskilled laborers irrespective of race or gender. They were led by Terence V. Powderly , who believed workers should be able to achieve their "emancipation from wage slavery." They fought for a restriction in child labor, a graduated income tax, more land for homesteaders, no contract labor, and monetary reform. When combined, they believed these reforms were essential to true democracy. They were most successful in the reform for an 8-hour working day, which would follow a "natural rhythm"- 8 for work, 8 for sleep, and 8 for leisure. They were crushed after the disaster at Chicago's Haymarket Square.

• American Federation of Labor (1886)- Unlike the Knights of Labor, the AFL accepted the wage system. It sought to bargain with employers for better working conditions, higher wages, and shorter hours. In return, compliant firms received highly skilled wage earners. Strikes were a last resort. Unlike the Knights, they did not acknowledge unskilled workers or minorities, believing they were impossible to organize. They were led by Samuel Gompers.