The Noble Order of the Knights of Labor was the most ambitious
and significant labor organization of the Gilded Age. As the
charismatic leader of this group, Terence Powderly was America's
first nationally known labor leader, the first to achieve a high
degree of recognition from working people, industrialists, and
politicians across the continent. To most Americans, Powderly "was"
the Knights of Labor. Based on an exhaustive examination of
Powderly's voluminous correspondence, this book offers a critical
analysis of Powderly's efforts to oversee the most spectacular
experiment in class-wide solidarity ever undertaken.
Phelan paints a sympathetic and probing portrait of a complex
figure caught up in the whirlwind of local and national events. He
details the challenges and pressures of labor leadership at a time
when industrialization was convulsing the nation, and when the
labor movement was struggling to build a viable national
institution capable of creating a more egalitarian society. The
national focus of this study helps to synthesize the numerous
community studies written on the Knights in recent years and offers
fresh perspectives on the ultimate meaning of the organization. It
is the first detailed examination of the Knights' leadership since
the Powderly and Hayes Papers have become available.
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