On this day in Labor History the year was 1821.
That was the day Uriah Smith Stephens was born near Cape May, New Jersey.
Although he longed to be a Baptist minister, he worked as a tailors apprentice and taught school.
In 1845 he moved to Philadelphia. There he became a member of the Garment Cutters Association in 1863 until it dissolved in 1869.
From there he joined several other garment cutters to form a new union.
The called themselves the Knights of Labor.
It was originally a secretive labor organization.
Stephens’ appreciation for religious ceremony infused the young union, which functioned like a fraternal order.
Stephens took the title of “First Master Workman” of District Assembly One in the group.
The organization would accept every worker regardless of country of origin, race, religion, or trade affiliation.
In fact, almost everyone was welcome to join, except for liquor dealers, lawyers, bankers, and professional gamblers.
The Knights grew from just nine members in 1869 to 9,000 by 1878.
That year Stephens became the Grand Master Workman, the top position in the organization.
He soon resigned the position to become more involved in politics.
But his organization continued to grow.
It became the first national union to effectively organize across job types.
In the 1880s, the union left behind its secrecy, and became involved in the fight for the eight hour day.
When the Haymarket tragedy occurred in Chicago, the Knights of Labor were caught up in the public backlash against organized labor.
Although the group had no direct ties to Haymarket, its numbers plummeted.
But the spirit of broad-scale worker organizing would live on in the United States, with organizing efforts such as the IWW and the CIO.
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Labor History in 2:00 brought to you by the Illinois Labor History Society and The Rick Smith Show