''Free Society'' (1895–1897 as ''The Firebrand''; 1897–1904 as ''Free Society'') was a major

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessar ...

newspaper in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries."''Free Society'' was the principal English-language forum for anarchist ideas in the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century." ''Emma Goldman: Making Speech Free, 1902–1909'', p.551. Most anarchist publications in the US were in Yiddish, German, or Russian, but ''Free Society'' was published in English, permitting the dissemination of anarchist thought to English-speaking populations in the US. The newspaper was established as ''The Firebrand'' in 1895 in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

by the Isaak family, Abraham Isaak, Mary Isaak, and their children, along with some associates; the organization served as "the headquarters of anarchist activity on the estCoast". The paper was particularly known for its advocacy of free love and

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countri ...

, bringing an anarchist critique to bear on social and gender relations. Deliberately defying the Comstock laws in an act of

civil disobedience Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". H ...

, ''The Firebrand'' published

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among ...

's "A Woman Waits for Me" in 1897; A. J. Pope, Abe Isaak, and Henry Addis were quickly arrested and charged with publishing obscene information for the Whitman poem and a letter "It Depends on the Women", signed by A.E.K. The A.E.K. letter presented various hypotheticals of women refusing or assenting to sex with their husbands or lovers, and argued that true liberation required education of both sexes and particularly women. After Isaak was released, the Isaak family moved the publication to

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

, and resumed publication under the name ''Free Society''. However, while ''Free Society'' continued to discuss free love and advocate for equality of the sexes, it did not openly defy the Comstock laws again. Notable contributors include Kate Austin, Voltairine de Cleyre, Michael Cohn,

Jay Fox Jay Fox (August 20, 1870 – March 8, 1961) was an American journalist, trade unionist, and political activist. The political trajectory of his life ran through anarchism, syndicalism, and communism, and he played a significant role in each of the ...

, Emma Goldman, Lizzie Holmes, William Holmes, C. L. James,C. L. James
at fair-use.org Harry Kelly, James Ferdinand Morton Jr., and Ross Winn.

Notes

References

* Carolyn Ashbaugh, "Radical Women: The Haymarket Tradition", IN ''Haymarket Scrapbook'', ed. by Dave Roediger and Franklin Rosemont, Chicago: Charles H. Kerr Publishing Co., 1986 (available a
''The Lucy Parsons Project''
(discussing ''Free Society'', including later imprisonment of Isaak family in 1901 after the McKinley assassination, and

Jane Addams Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860 May 21, 1935) was an American Settlement movement, settlement activist, Social reform, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, and author. She was an important leader in the history of s ...

' efforts to secure their release) * * Emma Goldman, ''Living My Life'' (Vol. 1). * ''Emma Goldman: Making Speech Free, 1902-1909'', p. 551 * Elmer B. Isaak (Interview), IN Paul Avrich, ''Anarchist Voices: An Oral History of Anarchism in America'' (AK Press, 2006, ), pp. 27–28 * Maurice, Lori Klatt
"Stamping Out Indecency, The Postal Way"
(aka "Stamping Out Indecency: Post Office Censorship"] (March 8, 2004, Evergreen State College)

External links

{{Commons category inline, Free Society Anarchist periodicals published in the United States Feminist newspapers Free love advocates Publications established in 1895 Anarcho-communism Publications disestablished in 1904 Defunct newspapers published in Oregon 1895 establishments in Oregon 1904 disestablishments in Oregon

See also

Notes

References

External links