The AFL was a formal federation of labor unions whereas Knights of Labor was much more a secretive type. The formation of Knights of Labor can be traced to the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor, a secret union formed in 1869 by Uriah Smith Stephens and James L.

In its beginnings, the American Federation of Labor was dedicated to the principles of craft unionism. The AFL, unlike the KOL, did not focus on national political issues. Instead, it concentrated on gaining the right to bargain collectively for wages, benefits, hours, and working conditions.

Why was the American Federation of Labor more successful than the Knights of Labor in the late nineteenth century? The AFL focused on goals such as better wages, hours and working conditions. Which of the following was a nineteenth century example of a trade union. You just studied 13 terms!

To get their demands, the unions rely on various strategies during the course of bargaining, including striking, parading, boycott and collective bargaining.

The Knights however declined in status due to being associated to the Haymarket bombing, and the fact that they allowed in unskilled workers, giving the skilled workers a feeling of superiority.

The organization held the first Labor Day celebration in 1882. The Knights declined rapidly after the 1886 Haymarket Square riot in Chicago, in which 11 people were killed by a bomb. The American Federation of Labor, a union of skilled workers, gradually replaced the Knights as the nation’s largest labor organization.

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. The Knights’ membership collapsed following the 1886 Haymarket Square riot in Chicago.

What would have happened if both unions had survived into the 20th century? Their power would be fractured because membership was split.

Interestingly, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the federal government utilized the Sherman Anti-Trust Act against unions, organizations created to assist workers against their employers. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was created to help workers and smaller businessmen by encouraging competition.

The main purpose of labor unions is to give workers the power to negotiate for more favorable working conditions and other benefits through collective bargaining.