Which organization did Samuel Gompers help found in 1886 and later lead as president?

Samuel Gompers helped found the American Federation of Labor in 1886 and later led it as president.

The American Federation of Labor, usually called the AFL, was formed in Columbus, Ohio, in December 1886. It brought together craft unions representing skilled workers and focused on practical goals such as higher wages, shorter hours, and improved working conditions.

Gompers served as the organization’s first president and remained its dominant leader for most of its early history. The AFL differed from the Knights of Labor, which sought a broader organization of workers across trades and included a wider reform program.

The AFL was not the organization that staged New York City’s first Labor Day parade; that event was organized by the Central Labor Union. However, the AFL’s formation in the same year as the Haymarket campaign places it firmly in the labor history surrounding the development of workers’ holidays.