George Henry Evans (1805-1856), American social radical, was a leader in the first stirrings of labor unrest and an advocate of the free distribution of western lands to homesteaders.

George Evans was born in Herefordshire, England, on March 25, 1805. At the age of 15 he, his father, and brother emigrated to the United States, settling in New York State. George was apprenticed to a printer. His wide reading, especially in the works of Thomas Paine, made him a confirmed atheist and a social radical who believed that every man had an inalienable right to the "materials of Nature," including land and water.

Evans soon founded The Man, the first of his many radical publications. He immersed himself in the labor movement in New York City, helped found the Workingmen's party, and became editor of its magazine, the Advocate. He believed that all individuals should have equal education and equal property...