1885 Knights of Labor Founded

An Injury to One is an Injury to All

In the period after the American Civil War there was a need for working people of all trades and industries to come together under one organization. One of the first of these organizations was the Knights of Labor. The Knights began as a secret society in 1869, but by 1882 they had begun to advocate for workers’ rights publicly and by 1886 they had 750,000 members. The Knights were characterized by their steadfast adherence to lofty ideals and, at the time, unattainable goals. They were part of the beginning for the unification for all working people, and many of their members, Frank Foster among them, left to join the American Federation of Labor.

The Knights of Labor were known for their unity and inclusiveness of all working people. Their motto “An Injury to One is an Injury to All” was a testament to their unity, and reflects the reason for their lofty ideals. Without the pioneering efforts of the Knights of Labor, many other umbrella organizations such as the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, later to be the AFL-CIO, would have faced much more difficulty in getting founded. The Knights set the groundwork for the AFL and CIO and for all workers to follow.