Why did the National Labor Union collapse? Please don't give me links - I've looked everywhere, including Wikipedia. I just don't understand what actually caused it to collapse so I'm looking for an answer. I'm trying to connect it to the collapse of the Knights of Labor but that won't work if I don't know why the National Labor Union collapsed. Please help.
"In 1868, William Sylvis, leader of the Iron Molder's International Union, was elected as its first president. The NLU had some success in attracting members until 1869, when Sylvis died suddenly. After that, the NLU divided over politics and the issue of beginning a third party. In 1872, the organization, by then called the National Labor Reform Party, collapsed when its chosen presidential candidate backed out of the race."
http://www.answers.com/topic/national-labor-union
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