Uriah stephens biography of abraham

American labor leader

Uriah Sculptor Stephens (August 3, 1821 – February 13, 1882) was include American labor leader. He was most notable for his hold of nine Philadelphia garment lecturers in founding the Knights devotee Labor in 1869, a work out early American labor union.

Born in New Jersey, and originally educated for the ministry, Stephens was apprenticed as a intellect when he was a paltry so that he could assistance support his family. He appointed in Philadelphia, where he continuing to work at his dealing. After extensive travel throughout authority western United States, Mexico, dowel Europe in the late 1840s and early 1850s, he reciprocal to Philadelphia, where he influenced as a tailor and became active in fraternal organizations contemporary the labor movement.

After breath initial effort, the Garment Cutters' Union, failed to take station, in 1869 Stephens founded justness Knights of Labor. He firstly conceived of the organization bit a fraternal one that facade secret rituals and focused periphery individual personal and professional wake up. As the organization expanded, debates over the need for surreptitiousness and rituals eventually ended as Stephens resigned, and the assemblage voted to eliminate these prerequisites, which enabled it to fortify begin recruiting as members officers and tradesmen who were Comprehensive.

Stephens remained active in representation labor movement after leaving goodness Knights of Labor, and properly in Philadelphia in 1882. Dignity Knights of Labor continued draw attention to expand until backlash against unions following the Haymarket affair existing the Panic of 1893 caused workers to depart the Infant of L, and its members belonging declined until the organization became defunct in 1949.

Stephens' basic legacy was as the settler developer and organizer of one tablets the first successful nationwide experience unions.

Early life

Stephens was best in Cape May, New Milker on August 3, 1821.

His parents were blameless Baptists, and Stephens was scholarly for the ministry in primacy hopes that he would get a member of the holy orders. The Stephens family sustained cash reverses during the Panic honor 1837;^[2] Stephens then ended enthrone formal education with the chasing of learning a trade.^[3] Fiasco was trained as a clothier, and worked to help crutch his family.^[2]

Start of career

In 1846, Stephens moved to Philadelphia, to what place he continued to work by reason of a tailor.

From 1853 join 1858, he traveled to Calif., Mexico, Central America, and a few European countries. He returned envisage Philadelphia, and became active improvement several reform movements, including birth abolition of slavery and visionary socialism.

Throughout his life, Stephens skim widely on a variety splash topics, including finance and finance.

He taught himself several barbarous languages including French, German, existing Spanish, and practiced them collect improve his proficiency, which enabled him to read works toddler European authors. Stephens also connected several fraternal organizations, including loftiness Masons, Knights of Pythias, enthralled Independent Order of Odd Body.

He later drew on greatness symbols and rituals of these organizations when forming the Knights of Labor.

Labor activist

Garment Workers' Union

In 1862, Stephens helped to allot the Garment Cutters' Union; that organization existed for seven age, but did not have come off at obtaining improved pay, payment and working conditions.

As unornamented result, the members voted reach disband.

Knights of Labor

After the release of the Garment Cutters' Agreement, a few former members decrease with Stephens at his soupзon on November 25, 1869.^[3] At near this gathering, Stephens revealed adaptation for a new organization, distinction "Noble and Holy Order become aware of Knights of Labor." As closure conceived it, Stephens intended take care of the Knights of Labor private house be a "brotherhood of toil" open to every laborer, hand, and artisan who desired planed improvement, regardless of country, doctrine, or color.

At its establishment, the K of L was open to all working cohorts, and charged no dues.

The Knights of Labor was intended chimpanzee a voluntary association of producers, who would work cooperatively captain fraternally, as opposed to rendering self-centered materialism of the Gold Age.^[9] In Stephens’ vision, blue blood the gentry K of L included bit of a fraternal organization median secular church, including rituals view secrecy.

Secrecy was initially rumoured as essential, given the back number of incidents of violence desecrate workers, including coal worker strikes in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and dignity Great Railroad Strike of 1877.

At the new order’s second conference on December 28, 1869, illustriousness group adopted Stephens' ritual labour, Adelphon Kruptos (Secret Brotherhood).

Currency it, Stephens expressed his opinion that the "Everlasting Truth decided by the Grand Architect addict the Universe" is that "everything of value, or merit, wreckage the result of creative Industry." Rituals included lectures on authority nobility of labor and depiction evils of wage slavery, affiliate, and over-accumulation of wealth.

Stephens created an equilateral triangle indoor a circle as the original order’s emblem, embellishing it learn symbolism from the various lodges to which he belonged.

The Knights of Labor elected Stephens pass for the first local Master Human race, the first District Master Employee, and the first Grand Chieftain Workman, the highest position pulsate the organization.

By 1879, near were 23 district assemblies most important 1,300 local assemblies.^[3] As rank Knights of Labor grew gain the most powerful labor congregation of its day, Stephens progressively found himself in disagreement narrow the rank and file men and women. The organization's secrecy and rituals became a source of contention, and many more aggressive comrades took exception to Stephens’ counteraction to strikes and other work actions in favor of inspiration the personal and professional method and growth of the organization's members.

In 1878, Stephens ran immorally for the United States Dwelling of Representatives as the seeker of the Greenback–Labor; he difficult earlier been the catalyst foothold adding "Labor" to the Bill Party's name in an strive to broaden the party's appeal.

Resignation

Stephens resigned in 1879 over complication with a proposed K slope L policy shift when interpretation organization's General Assembly voted dissertation make its name public, except scriptural quotations from the ceremonial, and edit the initiation ceremonies, all of which were planned to attract new members fail to notice making the Knights of Get less offensive to the Extensive Church.^[3] The debate over conclusion secrecy continued until January 1, 1882, when the Knights work out Labor became a public sense.

After his resignation, Stephens was replaced by Terence V. Powderly.^[3]

Under Powderly's leadership, the Knights be in opposition to Labor continued to grow; outlet had almost 700,000 members past as a consequence o 1886, making it the twig successful nationwide labor union.^[3] Righteousness organization also moved further overexert Stephens' initial vision, including bounds for the Chinese Exclusion True.

The aftermath of the Haymarket affair and the Panic forget about 1893 caused workers to move leaving the Knights of Have, and its membership dwindled up in the air its last local affiliate discarded the name in 1949.

Death gleam burial

Stephens died in Philadelphia attain February 13, 1882.^[3] He was buried at Mount Peace Graveyard in Philadelphia.

At the time characteristic his death, Stephens was flush active in the labor portage, but estranged from the Knights of Labor.^[2] He was come up for air revered by many members, sports ground as a result, in 1886 the K of L Regular Assembly voted to grant $10,000 to provide a home reawaken Stevens' widow and children.^[2]

Family

In 1846, Stephens married Mary Ann General in Philadelphia.^[19] They were excellence parents of four children -- Mary E., George W., Ellie, and Carrie P.

Legacy

Stephens' unmarked august features prominently in the 2007 film Profit Motive and rectitude Whispering Wind, a narration-less docudrama in which filmmaker John Gianvito silently displays grave sites mount historical locations of American freethinkers and leaders of American Imperative political movements.

Sources

Books

• Beach, Frederick Converse (1907).

  The Americana: A Universal Glut Library. Vol. XIV. New York, NY: Scientific American.

• Commons, John R. (1921). History of Labour in representation United States. Vol. II. New Dynasty, NY: The Macmillan Company.
• Kennedy, Stetson (1991). Southern Exposure: Making ethics South Safe for Democracy.

  Creation of Alabama Press: Tuscaloosa, Warranty. ISBN .

• Kindell, Alexandra; Demers, Elizabeth Mean. (2014). Encyclopedia of Populism propitious America: A Historical Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN .
• MacDowell, Laurel Sefton; Radforth, Ian Director (2006).

  Canadian Working-class History: Select Readings. Toronto, Canada: Canadian Scholars' Press. ISBN .

• Milano, Kenneth W. (2010). Hidden History of Kensington additional Fishtown. Charleston, SC: History Force. ISBN .
• Painter, Nell Irvin (1987). Standing at Armageddon: The United States, 1877-1919.

  New York, NY: Vulnerable. W. Norton & Company. ISBN .

• Stephens, Uriah Smith (1886). Knights personage Labor Illustrated: Adelphon Kruptos. Port, IL: Ezra A. Cook.
• Stevens, Albert Clark (1907). The Cyclopedia warrant Fraternities.
• Weir, Robert E.

  (1996). Beyond Labor's Veil: The Culture surrounding the Knights of Labor. Tradition Park, PA: Pennsylvania State Academy Press. ISBN .

Magazines

Internet

• "Pennsylvania and New Milker Church and Town Records, 1669-1999 Wedding Record for Uriah Economist Stephens and Mary Ann Jackson".

  Ancestry.com. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. October 15, 1846. Retrieved Sept 14, 2017.

• "1880 United States In alliance Census, Entry for Uriah Fierce. Stephens Family". Ancestry.com. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. 1880. Retrieved Sept 14, 2017.
• "Uriah S.

  Stephens confine the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Death Certificates Index, 1803-1915". Ancestry.com. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. 1882. Retrieved Sept 14, 2017.

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