slavery and utopian socialism. Throughout his life, Stephens read widely on a variety of topics, including finance and economics. He taught himself several foreign languages including French, German, and Spanish, and practiced them to improve his proficiency, which enabled him to read works by European authors. Stephens also joined several fraternal organizations, including the Masons, Knights of Pythias, and Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He later drew on the symbols and rituals of these organizations when forming the Knights of Labor. Labor activist Garment Workers' Union In 1862, Stephens helped to organize the Garment Cutters' Union; this organization existed for seven years, but did not have success at obtaining improved pay, benefits and working conditions. As a result, the members voted to disband. Knights of Labor After the demise of the Garment Cutters' Union, a few former members met with Stephens at his home on November 25, 1869. During this gathering, Stephens revealed plans for a new organization, the "Noble and Holy Order of Knights of Labor." As he conceived it, Stephens intended for the Knights of Labor to be a "brotherhood of toil" open to every laborer, mechanic, and artisan who desired professional improvement, regardless of country, creed, or color. At its founding, the K of L was open to all working people, and charged no dues. The Knights of Labor was intended as a voluntary association of producers, who would work cooperatively and fraternally, as opposed to the self-centered materialism of the Gilded Age. In Stephens’ vision, the K of L included elements of a fraternal organization or secular church, including rituals and secrecy. Secrecy was initially regarded as essential, given the number of incidents of violence against workers, including coal worker strikes in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. At the new order’s second meeting on December 28, 1869, the group adopted Stephens' ritual work, Adelphon Kruptos (Secret Brotherhood). In it, Stephens expressed his conviction that the "Everlasting Truth sealed by the Grand Architect of the Universe" is that "everything of value, or merit, is the result of creative Industry." Rituals included lectures on the nobility of labor and the evils of wage slavery, monopoly, and over-accumulation of wealth. Stephens created an equilateral triangle within a circle as the new order’s emblem, embellishing it with symbolism from the various lodges to which he belonged. The Knights of Labor elected Stephens as the first local