To foster solidarity and shield members from employer retaliation, the KOL fostered a culture of secrecy modeled partly on Masonic lodges, which had their origin in medieval craft guilds. KOL members swore oaths of silence, used entry passwords and followed initiation rituals. Organizers called meetings surreptitiously by chalking symbols onto sidewalks and the sides of buildings.
Over the 1870s, the Knights expanded nationwide, attracting skilled laborers such as blacksmiths and bricklayers. The organization gradually opened its doors to all wage laborers, while excluding professionals such as bankers, lawyers, doctors and alcohol manufacturers.
In 1879, when Stephens left the organization, leadership passed to Terence V. Powderly, an Irish Catholic machinist, who broadened the order’s reach by insisting that women be accepted as equal members—a radical decision for the era.
By the 1880s, the KOL had swelled to more than 700,000 members. In 1884, when the Union Pacific Railroad cut worker wages by 10 percent, the organization helped orchestrate a massive strike that halted rail service across the Midwest. Within days, the railroad restored its workers’ original pay.
Thanks in part to the influence of the Knights of Labor, American workers gained access to reforms such as the eight-hour workday, health and safety protections and early versions of workers' compensation insurance. The KOL declined in influence as internal divisions, ineffective leadership, and public backlash after violent events like the Haymarket Affair undermined its unity and credibility, clearing the way for more specialized unions to take its place.
