Knights of Labor
The Knights of Labor began during the era of labour unions. The Garment Cutters Association of Philadelphia failed and was dissolved on 9 December 1869. Several members voted to form a new organization. They were convinced their new union needed more secrecy. As they drew up plans for the new organization each member was required to take an oath of secrecy. The title for the presiding officer was "Master Worker" and other titles were similarly named. On December 28th they adopted the name of Knights of Labor. The membership fees were $1. In 1878 they held their first general meeting. The early Knights took up campaigning for an 8-hour workday. Child labor exploitation was another of their causes. About 20% of the Knights were women and black workers. The members were mainly working class people. Certain professions were banned from membership. This included lawyers, bankers, and stockbrokers. As a measure of how these occupations were viewed, saloon keepers and gamblers were also excluded.