Civil Rights

Youssef Shanbaky

Period 1

1/24/2017

        After the civil war America went through a big shift towards industrialization as a result of the large population and the availability of recourses, during the time of industrialization in America many organizations began to sprout. These organizations were in support of labor movements, Organizations such as the Knights of Labor, American Federation of Labor, and the industrial workers of the world. Many of these labor groups fought for the same cause as they all wanted to reduce hours, increase wages, and increased the working conditions of the workers.          

The knights of labor were an organization who worked to unite all the workers and all laborers. They accept anyone in there league skill, creed, or color was not a problem even sex wasn’t a problem as this labor union as unlike other unions it organized women workers. This labor union favored producers over “nonproducers” like bankers, lawyers, and gamblers. Since they are all people of the same status the members all have common interest. This labor movement fought for eight hour day and the abolition of child labor they also focused on a utopian reform. They were peaceful in how they wanted change they did not favor strikes and riots but they favored peaceful boycotts that’s how they would successfully get change to favor the workers. The organization was very successful as their membership grew from 42,000 in 1882 to 110,000 in 1885.

Another organization began to rise as the knights of labor struggled that labor union is The AFL.. It was headed by Samuel Gompers whose goal was to increase the welfare of the working class. The AFL was a union of skilled workers however it excluded unskilled workers, racial minorities, immigrants and women Gompers believed that women should not be factory workers. Gompers accepted capitalism but wanted the working class to get a greater share of the reward very similar to communism but he wasn’t extreme. A way they would improve welfare would be to increase wages for the workers, shorten hours, and along with that to improve conditions and the environment in the work space. Tactics the AFL would use would to organize strikes and to boycott. The union wasn’t about bringing down the monopolies and trust it was about obtaining fair wages. By 1914 the union would have over 2 million members. From the size of their members it was successful as the union was able to lower hours increase wages for workers and did improve the working conditions.