Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers was an English-born American labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor, and served as the organization's president from 1886 to 1894, and from 1895 until his death in 1924. He promoted h…
Labor history of the United States
The labor history of the United States describes the history of organized labor, US labor law, and more general history of working people, in the United States. Beginning in the 1930s, unions became important components of the Democratic Party. However, some historians question why no Labor Party emerged in the United States, in contrast to Western Europe.
What is Samuel Gompers famous for?
Gompers is noted for having shifted the primary goal of American unionism away from social issues and toward the “bread and butter” issues of wages, benefits, hours, and working conditions, all of which could be negotiated through collective bargaining.
What was Samuel Gompers biggest contribution to the progressive era?
Samuel Gompers, more than any other individual, helped to modernize the unions, organize them on a national scale, and open their doors to unskilled as well as skilled workers. Gompers began his career as a cigarmaker after quitting school at age ten.
Why did Samuel Gompers believe that unions were necessary?
Sam Gompers believed that one day all working men and women could belong to organized trade unions. He believed workers should not be forced to sell their labor at too low a price. He also believed each person must have the power to improve his or her own life.
How did Samuel Gompers try to help workers?
Gompers believed that labor had the most to gain by organizing skilled craft workers, rather than attempting to organize all workers in an industry. He refused to form an alliance with the Knights of Labor. "Talk of harmony with the Knights of Labor," he said, "is bosh.
Which of the following best describes Samuel Gompers?
Answer. The correct answer for this question is "He was a US congressman who sponsored anti-striking legislation." The statement that best describes Samuel Gompers's role in relation to the goals of organized labor is that he was a US congressman who sponsored anti-striking legislation.
Why was the AFL so successful?
The AFL sought tangible economic gains, such as higher wages, shorter hours, and better conditions, in addition to staying out of politics. The AFL strategy involved using strikes to pressure owners to improve work conditions.
Who started the first union?
In the history of America's trade and labor unions, the most famous union remains the American Federation of Labor (AFL), founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers.
What did Gompers see as a benefit of joining a union?
Based on the previous passage, what did Gompers see as the benefit of joining a union? Workers had gained better working conditions. Workers now worked longer hours in coal mines. Workers were able to work for a dollar and twenty five cents.
How does Gompers suggest dealing with unemployment?
As for unemployment insurance, Gompers argued that “when the government undertakes the payment of money to those who are unemployed, it places in the power of the government the lives and the work and the freedom of the workers.” State unemployment insurance programs, Gompers concluded, “are not advocated for the good ...
Who started labor rights?
The modern concept of labor rights dates to the 19th century after the creation of labor unions following the industrialization processes. Karl Marx stands out as one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for workers rights.
What did Gompers see as a benefit of joining a union?
Based on the previous passage, what did Gompers see as the benefit of joining a union? Workers had gained better working conditions. Workers now worked longer hours in coal mines. Workers were able to work for a dollar and twenty five cents.
Which of the following best describes Samuel Gompers?
Answer. The correct answer for this question is "He was a US congressman who sponsored anti-striking legislation." The statement that best describes Samuel Gompers's role in relation to the goals of organized labor is that he was a US congressman who sponsored anti-striking legislation.
What did the AFL accomplish?
The AFL sought tangible economic gains, such as higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions. They also made sure that they avoided politics.
How does Gompers suggest dealing with unemployment?
As for unemployment insurance, Gompers argued that “when the government undertakes the payment of money to those who are unemployed, it places in the power of the government the lives and the work and the freedom of the workers.” State unemployment insurance programs, Gompers concluded, “are not advocated for the good ...
Where did Gompers come from?
Gompers emigrated in 1863 from England to New York City, where he took up his father’s trade of cigar making and in 1872 became a naturalized citizen. His careful leadership of labour interests earned Gompers a reputation for conservatism.
What did Gompers do to the cigar industry?
In 1886 Gompers fostered the separation of the cigar makers and other craft unions from the Knights of Labor to form the AFL, of which he was president from 1886 to 1924 (except for one year, 1895). He distrusted intellectual reformers, fearing their influence would divert labour’s efforts away from economic goals.
How did the Gompers keep the AFL neutral?
Gompers kept the AFL politically neutral until pressed by employer tactics, including an open-shop drive, and by federal court injunctions that greatly weakened labour’s economic weapons, such as the strike, picket line, and boycott. The Democratic presidential platform of 1908 included an anti-injunction plank; hence, Gompers supported William Jennings Bryan ’s unsuccessful presidential candidacy. Better political conditions for labour would follow: the victory of Woodrow Wilson in 1912 brought the creation of a U.S. cabinet post for labour (1913), followed by the Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) and passage of the Adamson Act (1916), which established the eight-hour workday for interstate railroad workers.
What did Gompers do at age six?
Despite being extremely poor, the family managed to send Gompers to a free Jewish school at age six. There he received a brief basic education, rare among poor families of the day. At age ten, Gompers left school and went to work as an apprentice cigar-maker.
What did Gompers do as a teenager?
Though he left school at age ten and never completing a formal education, as a young teen, Gompers formed a debate club with several of this friends. It was here that he developed and honed his skills as an eloquent and persuasive public speaker. Some of his better-known quotes include:
Why did Gompers go to jail?
In 1911, Gompers faced jail for his participation in publishing a “boycott list” of companies that AFL members would not patronize. However, the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case of Gompers v. Buck’s Stove and Range Co., overturned his conviction.
How old was Sophia Julian when she married the Gompers?
On January 28, 1867, the seventeen-year-old Gompers married sixteen-year-old Sophia Julian. They remained together until Sophia’s death in 1920. The reported number of children the couple had together varied from seven to as many as 12, depending on the source. Their names and birth dates are not available.
How old was Samuel Gompers when he started making cigars?
In 1864, the 14-year-old Gompers, now working full time for local cigar-maker, joined and became active in the Cigar Makers’ Local Union No. 15, a union of New York cigar makers.
What was the AFL's focus?
As directed by Gompers, the AFL focused on securing higher wages, better working conditions, and a shorter work week. Unlike some of the more radical union activists of the day, who were trying to reshape the fundamental institutions of American life, Gompers provided a more conservative style of leadership to the AFL.
When did Gompers die?
saying he wanted to die on American soil. He died on December 13, 1924, in a San Antonio, Texas hospital, where his last words were, “Nurse, this is the end.
Early Life and Education
Marriage
- On January 28, 1867, the seventeen-year-old Gompers married sixteen-year-old Sophia Julian. They remained together until Sophia’s death in 1920. The reported number of children the couple had together varied from seven to as many as 12, depending on the source. Their names and birth dates are not available.
Young Cigar Maker and Budding Union Leader
- Once settled in New York, Gompers' father supported the large family by making cigars in the basement of their home, assisted by young Samuel. In 1864, the 14-year-old Gompers, now working full time for local cigar-maker, joined and became active in the Cigar Makers’ Local Union No. 15, a union of New York cigar makers. In his autobiography published in 1925, Gompers, in r…
Founding and Leading The AFL
- In 1881, Gompers helped found the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, which reorganized into the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1886, with Gompers as its first president. With a year-long break in 1895, he would continue to lead the AFL until his death in 1924. As directed by Gompers, the AFL focused on securing higher wages, be...
Gompers vs. The Knights of Labor, and Socialism
- Led by Gompers, the AFL steadily grew in size and influence, until by 1900, it had largely taken over the position of power previously held by the older Knights of Labor, American's first labor union. While the Knights publicly denounced socialism, they sought a cooperative society in which the laborers owed the industries for which they worked. Gompers’ AFL unions, on the other hand…
Gompers’ Death and Legacy
- Having suffered from diabetes for years, Gompers’ health began to fail in early 1923, when influenza forced him into the hospital for six weeks. By June 1924, he was unable to walk without assistance and was temporarily hospitalized again with congestive heart failure. Despite his increasingly frail condition, Gompers traveled to Mexico City in December 1924 to attend a meet…
Notable Quotes
- Though he left school at age ten and never completing a formal education, as a young teen, Gompers formed a debate club with several of this friends. It was here that he developed and honed his skills as an eloquent and persuasive public speaker. Some of his better-known quotes include: 1. “What does labor want? We want more schoolhouses and less jails; more books and l…
Sources
- Gompers, Samuel (autobiography) “Seventy Years of Life and Labor.” E. P. Dutton & company (1925). Easton Press (1992). ASIN: B000RJ6QZC
- “American Federation of Labor (AFL).” The Library of Congress
- Livesay, Harold C. “Samuel Gompers and Organized Labor in America.” Boston: Little, Brown, 1978