"Trade-unionism is the business proposition of the wage-earners... We do not want to overthrow the wage system; we want to make it tolerable." — Samuel Gompers, 1894
The trend in the chart and Gompers's statement together best support which generalization about the AFL?
- Acheck_circle
It pursued bread-and-butter goals (wages, hours, conditions) within capitalism, helping membership grow steadily.
- B
It collapsed after the Haymarket Affair of 1886.
- C
It sought to abolish private property and was rejected by workers.
- D
It admitted only unskilled industrial laborers and women.
Explanation
Gompers's American Federation of Labor focused on practical gains for skilled craft workers rather than radical politics. This pragmatism helped the union grow, especially after 1900, surpassing earlier groups like the Knights of Labor.