The alarming development and aggressiveness of great capitalists and corporations, unless unchecked, will inevitably lead to the pauperization and hopeless degradation of the toiling masses. The method of checking and remedying this evil is, first, the organization of all laborers into one great solidarity, and the direction of their united efforts toward the measures that shall, by peaceful processes, evolve the working classes out of their present condition in the wage-system into a co-operative system. This organization does not profess to a political party, nor does propose to organize a political party but, nevertheless, it proposes to exercise the right of suffrage in the direction of obtaining such legislation as shall assist the natural law of development. It is true that the demands are revolutionary, as it is the purpose of the Order to establish a new and true standard of individual and national greatness.
Primary Source Analysis: Analysis of the Preamble of the Knights of Labor
1. What is the context of the document (the author, the purpose and the audience)? 2. According to the Preamble, hat was the main concern of the Knights of Labor? 3. According to the Knights of Labor what was the solution to the problem? 4. Why would the Knights of Labor make a point to state that they sought a peaceful resolution to this problem? 5. Why would the Knights of Labor specifically state that they had no intention of forming a political party yet intended to use the power of the ballot to bring about change?
Primary Source/Document Analysis 1. What is the context of the primary source/document? (author, purpose, audience) 2. What is the main idea of the primary source/document? 3. How is the perspective of this source/document limited or biased? 4. What questions remain unanswered?