Denver hosted the 1894 national convention of the American Federation of Labor.
The American Federation of Labor, commonly called the AFL, was a federation of craft unions founded in 1886. Its annual conventions brought together delegates to discuss organizing, wages, industrial disputes, and legislative priorities. The 1894 convention took place in Denver during a period of intense national attention to labor issues.
That same year, the United States Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday. Samuel Gompers was the AFL’s leading figure and served as its president for most of its early history. Denver is sometimes overlooked because Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C., are more commonly associated with major events in U.S. labor history.