Question

The American Federation of Labor (AFL) had 1.6 million members by 1904. The AFL represented mainly skilled, white, native-born workers. The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was founded in response to the lack of representation for unskilled and foreign-born workers. Identify the goals and accomplishments of these two organizations.

Answer 1

AFL advocated cooperation with corporate and political leaders to achieve workers goals; AFL helped settle hundreds of industrial disputes and encouraged improvements in factory safety and the establishment of pensions for long-term workers; IWW strongly advocated a workers' revolution that would seize the means of production and abolish the state.