"We declare an inevitable and irresistible conflict between the wage-system of labor and the republican system of government. The wage-laborer wishes to be a wage-payer or self-employer. The producers of the country are entitled to the fullest enjoyment of the wealth they create. We therefore demand the establishment of cooperative institutions, productive and distributive." — Knights of Labor Preamble, 1878
The Knights collapsed in membership most directly after
- A
The 1894 Pullman Strike
- B
The 1877 Great Railroad Strike
- C
The 1893 economic depression
- Dcheck_circle
The 1886 Haymarket bombing's anti-labor backlash
Explanation
Although the Knights had no link to the bombing, public anti-anarchist hysteria after Haymarket devastated their reputation and rolls.