Emma Goldman
A fiery orator and writer who championed anarchism, free love, and birth control, becoming one of the most feared and admired radicals of her age.
1869–1940 (age 71)·Russian-born anarchist·Birthday: June 27·The Gilded Age
Biography
Emma Goldman arrived in New York from Russia as a teenager, her political consciousness already simmering. The Haymarket Affair tragedy ignited her commitment to anarchism, and she quickly became a magnetic street-corner speaker, her voice cutting through the noise of industrial America. She published the journal 'Mother Earth,' advocating for a sweeping revolution that included workers' rights, sexual freedom, and absolute personal liberty. Her relentless activism—including opposition to World War I conscription—led to multiple arrests and, in 1919, deportation to the newly formed Soviet Union. Disillusioned by Bolshevik authoritarianism, she left, spending her later years writing a searing autobiography and supporting the Spanish anarchists in their civil war. More than a political figure, 'Red Emma' was a cultural force, arguing that true freedom required upheaval in both the public square and the private bedroom.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Emma was born in 1869, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Emma Was Born
The biggest hits of 1869
Emma's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1869Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1874Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1882Became a teenager
First electrical power plant opens in New York
President: Chester A. Arthur
1885Could drive
Karl Benz builds the first gasoline-powered automobile
President: Grover Cleveland
1887Could vote
President: Grover Cleveland
1890Turned 21
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1899Turned 30
President: William McKinley
1909Turned 40
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1919Turned 50
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1929Turned 60
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1939Turned 70
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1940Died at 71
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
Key Achievements
- Founded and edited the influential anarchist journal 'Mother Earth,' which ran from 1906 to 1917.
- Was imprisoned in 1893 for inciting a riot after urging unemployed workers to 'take bread'.
- Was deported from the United States to Russia in 1919 under the Anarchist Exclusion Act.
- Wrote the landmark autobiography 'Living My Life,' published in 1931.
Did You Know?
She worked in a garment factory in Rochester, New York, upon first arriving in the United States.
She was a trained nurse and midwife and worked in that capacity for a time.
She was a close friend and collaborator with anarchist Alexander Berkman, who attempted to assassinate industrialist Henry Clay Frick.
She lectured on modern European playwrights like Ibsen and Strindberg, considering art a vital part of social change.
“If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution.”
