body, which represented twenty-five organizations. The new
organization was called the American Federation of Labor. Until
1889, this was considered as the first annual meeting of the new
organization, but in that year the Federation resolved that its
"continuity...be recognized and dated from the year 1881."

For some years the membership increased slowly; but in 1889 over
70,000 new members were reported, in 1900 over 200,000, and from
that time the Federation has given evidence of such growth and
prosperity that it easily is the most powerful labor organization
America has known, and it takes its place by the side of the
British Trades Union Congress as "the sovereign organization in
the trade union world." In 1917 its membership reached
91,371,434, with 110 affiliated national unions, representing
virtually every element of American industry excepting the
railway brotherhoods and a dissenting group of electrical
workers.

The foundation of this vast organization was the interest of
particular trades rather than the interests of labor in general.
Its membership is made up "of such Trade and Labor Unions as
shall conform to its rules and regulations." The preamble of the
Constitution states: "We therefore declare ourselves in favor of
the formation of a thorough federation, embracing every trade and
labor organization in America under the Trade Union System of
organization." The Knights of Labor had endeavored to subordinate
the parts to the whole; the American Federation is willing to
bend the whole to the needs of the unit. It zealously sends out
its organizers to form local unions and has made provision that
"any seven wage workers of good character following any trade or