Labor: General Response

America was created to be the land of opportunity. This would result in a reliance on labor, as hard work is the key to success. Workers were all independent of each other, until the late 19th century, when they began to join together to reach their similar goals. The most important of these groups was called the Knights of Labor, which began as a secret group. During the late 1880s, it thrived with over 700,000 workers, as a result of becoming a national labor union. Violence attributed to the downfall of this group, although regardless of this the legacy lived on to set an example for future unions. Unions became job-oriented, and soon after the American Federation of Labor was formed. This was an organization of trade unions, founded primarily by Samuel Gompers. This group of skilled workers was less conventional than the average union, and for this reason the number of members did not rapidly increase. Unskilled workers banded together as well, and created the IWW, or Industrial Workers of the World. This group, nicknamed the Wobblies, was highly influenced by socialist ideals. The leaders of the WWI were prosecuted for the socialist influences, which contributed to the destruction of the union.By the 20th century, the power of labor unions began to thrive.  As the as they progressed, the workplace conditions improved. This, along with the new restrictions on child labor, helped to advance the labor movement and guide it to where it is today.