Knights of Labor, Great Railroad Strike, 1873 crisis

[inva]

In a book about the abolition movement I read recently there was a reference to the Knights of Labor as the inheritors of abolitionism, so I got interested in this organisation and was wondering if anyone has some recomendations of books or other material on them and also possibly about the Great Railroad Strike they were involved in and the panic of 1873 and crisis following from that which is relevant too.

From searching I found there's a book called Workingmen's Democracy by Leon Fink, I don't know if it's any good, but anything around these subjects would be welcome.

Ideally I'd like to read a bit about that and then I'll move on to some later working class struggles in the US which I've already gathered a fair bit to read on.

Thanks if anyone can help on this anyway!

 

[Pickman's model]

Knights of Labor - Social Welfare History Project

 

[butchersapron]

V important as a) one of the few unions organise on a non racial and gender basis - but on a patriotic understanding (see the unions anti-Chinese campaign) b) to break out of craft union organising c) for the range of people it introduced and the organisations they went onto form/participate in. Albert Parson was a member for example.

 

[butchersapron]

There's a couple of old threads on here about the hidden history of the US working class and their forms of organisation btw - US socialism or union as search terms should take you there.

 

[inva]

There's a couple of old threads on here about the hidden history of the US working class and their forms of organisation btw - US socialism or union as search terms should take you there.

thanks I'll have a look for those
e2a, just spotted the link, cheers

 

[inva]

View attachment 91913
View attachment 91914
Knights of Labor - Social Welfare History Project

The first one of them is on archive.org so I'll take a look at it on my kindle later

 

[inva]

There's a couple of old threads on here about the hidden history of the US working class and their forms of organisation btw - US socialism or union as search terms should take you there.

that Viewpoint link you posted at the end of the thread looks good, though focused a bit later at first glance. I'll try and have a look at Melvyn Dubofsky's book on the IWW. And some of the books listed as sources from that piece look promising too.

 

[butchersapron]

You prob know this but Jeremy Brecher's book Strike! is what you're after - from council communust perspestive (in fact he was in the root and branch collective with Paul Mattick senior's son). That link is to the repub, if you can get the original it's miles better.

 

[Pickman's model]

You prob know this but Jeremy Brecher's book Strike! is what you're after - from council communust perspestive (in fact he was in the root and branch collective with Paul Mattick senior's son). That link is to the repub, if you can get the original it's miles better.

cheers! i was looking for that earlier - knew the title, had forgotten the author - read it years back, very good.

 

[petee]

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