The Knights of Labor significantly impacted the Populist movement in the late 1800s by helping to forge a crucial alliance between farmers and laborers, which became the backbone of the Populist coalition. In the 1880s, the Knights of Labor emerged as the most powerful labor organization in the United States, with over a million members spanning skilled and unskilled workers, including African Americans and women, which was progressive for the time

. The Knights promoted labor reforms such as the eight-hour workday, the end of child and convict labor, and cooperative enterprises, aligning with the Populists' goals of economic equality and regulation of corporate power

. They worked closely with agricultural groups like the Farmers' Alliances, and in some rural areas, the two organizations had overlapping memberships, moving jointly toward the founding of the People’s Party (Populist Party)

. Moreover, the Knights of Labor helped circulate key Populist ideas such as free silver coinage, which was central to the Populist economic platform aimed at helping indebted farmers and workers

. The labor support and organizational strength of the Knights also contributed to the election of Populist candidates, including William Jennings Bryan in 1890, who championed many Populist causes

. While the Knights initially opposed strikes, they eventually supported labor actions that bolstered their influence and helped bring labor issues into the broader Populist agenda. Their inclusive membership policies and interracial organizing efforts, although complex and sometimes contradictory, helped shape the Populist movement’s character as a coalition of diverse working-class groups

. In summary, the Knights of Labor were instrumental in building the farmer- labor alliance that defined the Populist movement, providing organizational strength, promoting labor reforms, and helping to spread key Populist ideas in the late 19th century