Which labor organization formed in 1886 as a federation of craft unions and later became a core part of the national AFL?

• A. Knights of Labor
• B. Industrial Workers of the World
• C. American Federation of Labor
• D. Coal Miners' Union

Answer: (C)

The key idea is identifying how the AFL was formed to unite skilled workers under a single national framework. Formed in 1886 by Samuel Gompers and other craft-union leaders, the American Federation of Labor organized workers by trade, focusing on practical goals like higher wages, shorter hours, and better conditions. It preferred bargaining and strikes to push for gains, rather than broad social reform, which helped skilled trades coordinate actions across industries. This craft-focused, bargaining-centered approach made the AFL the dominant national labor federation, and its structure and leadership became the backbone of the later AFL-CIO. By contrast, the Knights of Labor began earlier in 1869 with a broader membership and reform agenda, the Industrial Workers of the World emerged in 1905 with a more radical, industrial-union approach, and the Coal Miners’ Union does not represent the national federation founded in 1886.