USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Knights of Labor, founded in 1869, was the first major labor organization in the United States. The Knights organized unskilled and skilled workers, campaigned for an eight hour workday, and aspired to form a cooperative society in which laborers owned the industries in which they worked.

Detailed explanation-2: -The AFL sought tangible economic gains, such as higher wages, shorter hours, and better conditions, in addition to staying out of politics. The AFL strategy involved using strikes to pressure owners to improve work conditions.

Detailed explanation-3: -The earliest recorded strike occurred in 1768 when New York journeymen tailors protested a wage reduction. The formation of the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers (shoemakers) in Philadelphia in 1794 marks the beginning of sustained trade union organization among American workers.

Detailed explanation-4: -The American Federation of Labor supplanted the Knights of Labor, and it developed a quite different philosophy. Rather than trying to abolish the wage-labor system, it sought to use strikes to gain higher wages, lower working hours, and better working conditions for its members.

Detailed explanation-5: -The first recognized national labor organization was the Knights of Labor. Founded among garment cutters in Philadelphia in 1869, it had a stated goal of an eight-hour workday. Within a few years, its membership reached 750, 000.