Which labor organizations and movements pushed for better conditions for workers in the late 19th century?

Which labor organizations and movements pushed for better conditions for workers in the late 19th century?

• A. Knights of Labor, American Federation of Labor (AFL), and widespread strikes for higher wages and safer workplaces
• B. The Tea Party
• C. The Populist Party
• D. The United Nations

Answer: (B)

In the late 19th century, workers pushed for better conditions by organizing into unions and using collective action to demand higher wages, shorter hours, and safer workplaces. The Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor were the major groups driving this effort. The Knights of Labor started around 1869 and sought broad reforms, welcoming many kinds of workers and aiming for programs like an eight-hour workday and safer conditions. The American Federation of Labor, founded in 1886, focused on skilled workers and pursued practical gains through collective bargaining with employers, such as wage increases and better work conditions, often through targeted strikes and negotiations. The other options don’t fit this specific historical pattern: the Tea Party is a modern political movement from the 2000s, not a labor organization; the Populist Party did advocate broader reforms for farmers and labor, but it wasn’t primarily a labor organization pushing for workers’ conditions in the same way as these unions; and the United Nations did not exist in the late 19th century.

In the late 19th century, workers pushed for better conditions by organizing into unions and using collective action to demand higher wages, shorter hours, and safer workplaces. The Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor were the major groups driving this effort. The Knights of Labor started around 1869 and sought broad reforms, welcoming many kinds of workers and aiming for programs like an eight-hour workday and safer conditions. The American Federation of Labor, founded in 1886, focused on skilled workers and pursued practical gains through collective bargaining with employers, such as wage increases and better work conditions, often through targeted strikes and negotiations.

The other options don’t fit this specific historical pattern: the Tea Party is a modern political movement from the 2000s, not a labor organization; the Populist Party did advocate broader reforms for farmers and labor, but it wasn’t primarily a labor organization pushing for workers’ conditions in the same way as these unions; and the United Nations did not exist in the late 19th century.