Samuel Gompers
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Samuel Gompers was an American labor leader and the first president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The AFL was the largest organization of labor unions in America at the time. After emigrating to the U.S. in the late 1800s, Gompers was exposed, at an early age, to the harsh realities of the American working class of New York City. As an adult, he followed his father's footsteps and worked in a cigar factory where he experienced poor working conditions and low wages. It was then that he decided to create the AFL with the goal of increasing wages, improving working conditions, and stopping unfair treatment of workers. Strikes were commonly used as a method of persuasion to the employers