Samuel Gompers In The American Labor Movement

“Samuel Gompers was a very important person in the American labor movement and he was the founder and first president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL)” (“Samuel
Gompers,” 1936). He was born into a poor family in East London on January 27, 1850 living there only a few years. His family moved to New York where he and his father worked as cigar makers and both later joined the Cigar Makers’ Union. With the help of other union leaders,
Gompers eventually set up the AFL in 1886.
Motivation
Samuel Gompers was heavily motivated by the Cigar Makers’ Union and his father while he worked in New York. He was also motivated by his “belief in unionism and stance against the socialists” (“Samuel Gompers,” 2011). His own “belief in social conservatism also motivated him to

Gompers’ hatred of people losing jobs caused him to push his efforts more to make unions stronger. Causing his unions to become very strong and organized, always standing together. His rank of union leader also caused him to become more motivated due to his responsibility to unite laborers. His father “joined the Cigar Makers’ Union causing Samuel to later join as well” (“Samuel Gompers,” 1998). This reveals how his father influenced Gompers by joining a union.
Preparation
Before Samuel Gompers moved to New York he had a “brief education that was unknown to his class” (“Samuel Gompers,” 1998). Showing how even though he had a short education it was better than the education people the same age received. Years before he founded
Samuel Gompers 3 the AFL Gompers was “a member of multiple organizations like the Cigar Makers’ Union No.
15 in New York” (Norquist, 2013). This shows how he prepared by joining other unions and by obtaining a high rank in those unions. Gompers also became “skilled in writing and speaking which helped him convey his message effectively” (Norquist, 2013). This shows how his skills helped him to become a strong union leader.