Big Apple History . Business and Politics . Emma Goldman


	Emma Goldman, just before being deported

In the early 1900s, Emma Goldman organized rallies and spoke out on a variety of issues. As an anarchist, she believed that all forms of government and large business are harmful and oppressive. She also fought for women's right to be financially independent from men. Having suffered with other women in harsh "sweat shops" in the garment district of New York City, she helped organize labor unions to fight for workers' rights. As a feminist, she persuaded women to use birth control and to take control of their bodies by deciding for themselves whether they wished to have unmarried sex. As a pacifist, she protested the draft when the U.S. entered World War I. In addition to speeches, she published MOTHER EARTH, a journal of her ideas. Given her many radical beliefs and actions, it is not surprising that Emma Goldman was often thrown in jail.

In 1919, the U.S. government became worried that a rebellion similar to the Russian Revolution might happen in America. With Eastern European immigrants arriving daily, Americans feared that they might be bringing revolutionary, communist ideas with them that threatened the "American way of life." So, the government rounded up hundreds of political activists, including Goldman. Although there was no evidence these people had done anything illegal, they were charged with suspicion of anarchy and treason and sent to Ellis Island just south of Manhattan. A few months later, they were deported on ships to Russia. This period in U.S. history became known as the "Red Scare" because Communists were known as "reds".

Illustration: Courtesy of the National Park Service, Ellis Island Immigration Museum.