Question

Founded by Samuel Gompers, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was a union made up of

A) unskilled workers
B) women
C) skilled workers
D) African American workers

Answer 1

The American Federation of Labor (AFL), established by Samuel Gompers, was a union made up primarily of skilled workers, focusing on economic benefits through strategies like strikes and advocating for a closed-shop policy. (option C)

Step-by-step explanation:

The American Federation of Labor (AFL), founded by Samuel Gompers in 1886, was primarily a union for skilled workers. It was created as a national federation of autonomous craft unions, focusing on economic gains for its members. In contrast to other unions of the time which included unskilled workers, women, or African American workers, the AFL restricted its membership mainly to skilled White male workers. The AFL utilized strikes as a strategy to achieve goals such as wage increases and shorter work weeks, and it campaigned for a closed-shop policy. By 1914, the AFL's approach had proven successful in several respects, reaching an impressive membership of over 2 million skilled workers.