Colored National Labor Union facts for kids
The Colored National Labor Union (CNLU) was a special group formed in 1869 by African Americans. They created it to help Black workers organize and improve their jobs and lives across the country. Like other groups for workers, called labor unions, the CNLU wanted better working conditions and a higher quality of life for its members.
Many existing labor unions at the time did not allow African Americans to join. For example, the National Labor Union (NLU), which was mostly white, said it believed in "no distinction of race." However, in reality, many local white unions kept Black workers out. Isaac Myers, a leader for African-American workers, spoke at an NLU meeting in 1869. He asked for white and Black workers to join together for better pay and living standards. But white unions still refused to let African Americans become members. Because of this, Myers and other Black workers decided to form their own national organization. This led to the creation of the Colored National Labor Union in 1869, with Isaac Myers as its first president.
The CNLU was set up to help Black workers who faced very tough conditions. The union represented African-American workers in 21 states. Some of their main goals were to get farmland for poor African Americans in the South. They also wanted government help for education and new laws that would stop unfair treatment. These laws would help Black workers who were struggling.
History of the CNLU
Even though the main National Labor Union (NLU) said it didn't care about race in 1869, many local unions still kept Black and white workers separate. There was often tension between Black and white workers. Sometimes, when white workers went on strike, Black workers might be hired to replace them. This made white unions angry. The same thing happened when Black workers went on strike; white workers might be hired instead.
Another big problem was that some white worker groups were linked to violent groups that hurt Black people. This made it very hard for Black and white workers to unite. Also, Black and white workers had different main goals for their unions. White workers often focused on political power and money reforms. Black workers were more concerned with being able to own land and build their own businesses.
Because of these differences, Black workers separated from the NLU. They held their own meeting later in 1869. This meeting led to the creation of the Colored National Labor Union. Its official name was "The National Labor Union." The word "Colored" was added by newspapers and the public at the time.
The "Colored" National Labor Union was founded in December 1869. About 214 African American mechanics, engineers, artists, tradespeople, and their supporters met in Washington D.C. They created this group to get equal representation for African Americans in the workforce. Isaac Myers helped organize the union and became its first president. Later, in 1872, the famous civil rights leader Frederick Douglass was chosen as president of the CNLU. Douglass's newspaper, The New Era, became the official newspaper for the union.
The CNLU sent representatives to the 1870 National Labor Convention. However, the NLU refused to let John M. Langston, a Black lawyer and abolitionist, join the meeting. After this, the CNLU mostly stopped working with the NLU.
CNLU's Efforts and Challenges
During their first meeting in December 1869, the 214 representatives of the CNLU wrote a request to Congress. They asked Congress to divide public land in the South into farms for poor African American farmers. They also asked for low-interest loans from the government for these farmers. In 1871, another request was sent to Congress. This one asked for an investigation into the "Conditions of Affairs in the Southern States." Sadly, neither of these requests had much effect on Congress or on how Black workers were treated in the South.
The Colored National Labor Union also set up the Bureau of Labor in Washington, D.C. This Bureau was meant to help Black workers organize unions across the country. As president of the CNLU, Isaac Myers traveled widely. He encouraged Black workers to form unions and tried to convince white labor unions to allow Black workers to join. On his trips, he often focused on mechanics and their unions. He believed that white mechanic unions specifically tried to keep Black workers out of certain jobs.
Unfortunately, at the CNLU's second yearly meeting, Myers said the organization had not been as successful as they had hoped. He noted that the educational and financial help from the CNLU and the Bureau of Labor was not enough. He also pointed out that the power of groups like the Ku Klux Klan in the South made it very hard to organize Black workers in some areas.
Shift to Politics and Disbanding
Isaac Myers had warned against the CNLU becoming mainly a political group instead of a workers' union. However, when Frederick Douglass was elected president in 1871, it showed that more political figures were joining the organization. Over time, the CNLU became more and more focused on politics. It eventually became almost like a part of the Republican party. This meant less focus on union activities and less contact with other worker unions across the country.
By 1872, the CNLU had mostly stopped its work and eventually broke apart. This was similar to what happened to the NLU when it became too focused on politics, which caused its own organization to split. It was not until after World War II, in the 1940s, that the U.S. government took steps to encourage fair employment practices.
