Terence Powderly and the Knights of Labor manifesto

Terence Powderly outlines a sort of manifesto for the Knights of Labor, listing the goals and objectives of the group. The mission and philosophy of the Knights of Labor reflect the rising popularity of Marxist ideals due to the widespread abuse of workers during the early years of the Industrial Revolution. Labor organizations rallied to create a more egalitarian society and to minimize disparities in wealth and power. The document calls for communal resources: basically a shared ownership of the means of production. Powderly calls for the cooperative access to lands and resources as well as shared profits for workers. The author also calls for a more strident evaluation of businesses, based on their ethics more than on their profits. Moreover, Powderly's outline admonishes labor practices such as child labor, contract labor, and unequal pay. Many of Powderly's ideas seem politically radical, and were empowering enough to draw new members to the Knights of Labor.

The Chicago Tribune response to the Haymarket Affair reflects the mainstream view that labor activists were nothing but "anarchists." While the editor of the Tribune must acknowledge the need to maintain peace and order in the city of Chicago, he or she fails to credit the labor movement with championing the rights of workers and for denouncing endemic inequality. Nevertheless, the Haymarket affair and the Tribune's response also reveals the weaknesses in the American labor movement: the fissures that led to its being stymied by corporate and government interests.