American labor movements have never experienced such a rush to organize as the one in the latter part of 1885 and during 1886.  During 1886 the combined membership of labor organizations was exceptionally large and for the first time came near the million mark.  The Knights of Labor had a membership of 700,000 and the trade unions at least 250,000, the former composed largely of unskilled and the latter of skilled.  The Knights of Labor gained in a remarkably short time—­in a few months—­over 600,000 new members and grew from 1610 local assemblies with 104,066 members in good standing in July 1885, to 5892 assemblies with 702,924 members in July 1886.  The greatest portion of this growth occurred after January 1, 1886.  In the state of New York there were in July 1886, about 110,000 members (60,809 in District Assembly 49 of New York City alone); in Pennsylvania, 95,000 (51,557 in District Assembly 1, Philadelphia, alone); in Massachusetts, 90,000 (81,191 in District Assembly 30 of Boston); and in Illinois, 32,000.

In the state of Illinois, for which detailed information for that year is available, there were 204 local assemblies with 34,974 members, of which 65 percent were found in Cook County (Chicago) alone.  One hundred and forty-nine assemblies were mixed, that is comprised members of different trades including unskilled and only 55 were trade assemblies.  Reckoned according to country of birth the membership was 45 percent American, 16 percent German, 13 percent Irish, 10 percent British, 5 percent Scandinavian, and the remaining 2 percent scattered.  The trade unions also gained many members but in a considerably lesser proportion.

The high water mark was reached in the autumn of 1886.  But in the early months of 1887 a reaction became visible.  By July 1, the membership of the Order had diminished to 510,351.  While a share of this retrogression may have been due to the natural reaction of large masses of people who had been suddenly set in motion without experience, a more immediate cause came from the employers.  Profiting by past lessons, they organized strong associations.  The main object of these employers’ associations was the defeat of the Knights.  They were organized sectionally and nationally.  In small localities, where the power of the Knights was especially great, all employers regardless of industry joined in a single association.  But in large manufacturing centers, where the rich corporation prevailed, they included the employers of only one industry.  To attain their end these associations made liberal use of the lockout, the blacklist, and armed guards and detectives.  Often they treated agreements entered into with the Order as contracts signed under duress.  The situation in the latter part of 1886 and in 1887 had been clearly foreshadowed in the treatment accorded the Knights of Labor on the Gould railways in the Southwest in the early part of 1886.