Born June 27, 1869
Kovno, Lithuania
Died May 14, 1940
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Political activist, lecturer, writer, and nurse

Emma Goldman immigrated to the United States in 1885 at the age of sixteen. After working in garment factories in Rochester, New York, and New Haven, Connecticut, Goldman moved to New York City and became a political activist. In 1893 she was charged with inciting a riot and jailed for encouraging unemployed workers to steal bread to feed their families. That was only one of several tussles with the law for Goldman, the most serious occurring during World War I (1914–18), when she was arrested for interfering with the draft.

In 1908 the government stripped Goldman of her American citizenship and in 1919 exiled her to the Soviet Union. Disillusioned with the Soviet revolution, which had taken place two years prior to her arrival, Goldman left the country. She spent the remainder of her years...