1. Labor in the Age of Big Business

2. The Knights of Labor
The Knights of Labor mobilizes labor to take control of their own industries.
The Knights:
urged workplace cooperation (profit sharing) as the alternative to the wage system
set up small cooperatives in various industries
joined the fight for an 8-hour workday
Workers normally excluded from craft unions joined the Knights, including unskilled workers, women, and African Americans.
Refer to “The Knights of Labor,” p. 560

3. The Decline of the Knights of Labor
The Knights lost their crusade for an 8-hour workday due to a violent incident at Chicago’s Haymarket Square.
Employers rid their factories of union organizers; the Knights lost and the wage system won along with ten-hour work day.

4. The American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor, led by Samuel Gompers, organized skilled workers within the wage system.
The AFL:
did not organize unskilled workers, females, or racial and ethnic minorities
focused on short-term goals of higher wages, shorter hours and collective bargaining.
Unlike other unions, the AFL did achieve a degree of respectability.

5. Gilded Age Labeled by Mark Twain
Accumulation and lavish spending of wealth by some American capitalists
A definite class structure started developing with differences between upper and middle class becoming apparent
“Conspicuous Consumption” – noticeable displays of wealth and expenditures