
In the turbulent months after World War I, a desperate plea rings out from Ellis Island’s deportation station. Written in a rush of ink and urgency, the pamphlet confronts the government’s crackdown on activists who dared to challenge industrial power, chronicling the heartbreaking scene of families left in the wake of the “Red Ark”—a ship that vanished with husbands, fathers, and hopeful workers bound for exile. The authors capture the raw emotions of those gathered on the dock, the cold winter garments offered as comfort, and the stark clash between a frightened populace and the soldiers enforcing the banishment.
Beyond the immediate drama, the text lays bare the broader menace of state‑driven deportations, arguing that such actions threaten the very foundations of liberty and solidarity. It weaves personal sacrifice with a wider historical perspective, urging listeners to remember how the suppression of dissent reverberates through labor movements and civil rights struggles. This compelling snapshot invites reflection on the cost of silence and the power of collective resistance.
Full title
Deportation, its meaning and menace Last message to the people of America by Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (73K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States:1919.
Credits
Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2022-07-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1870–1936
A fiery anarchist writer and activist, he spent years in prison after the 1892 attempt on industrialist Henry Clay Frick and later became one of the sharpest early critics of Soviet repression. His life moved through revolution, exile, journalism, and political struggle on both sides of the Atlantic.
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1869–1940
A fierce public speaker and fearless writer, she became one of the best-known radicals of her era, arguing for free speech, workers’ rights, birth control, and personal freedom. Her life crossed revolutionary Russia, immigrant America, prison cells, lecture halls, and exile, giving her work an unusual force and urgency.
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by Emma Goldman

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