Sounds all too familiar, doesn’t it? It seems that ever since the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, The United States of America has been in a constant state of “preparedness”. By chasing after “evil-doers” and crossing seas and international boarders to eliminate fabled weapons of mass destruction, maybe we are just as guilty of injuring Americans ourselves. Emma Goldman believed so in her anti-war essays. Goldman wrote:

“The very proclaimers of ‘America first’ have long before this betrayed the fundamental principles of real Americanism, of the kind of Americanism that Jefferson had in mind when he said that the best government is that which governs least; the kind of America that David Thoreau worked for when he proclaimed that the best government is the one that doesn't govern at all; or the other truly great Americans who aimed to make of this country a haven of refuge, who hoped that all the disinherited and oppressed people in coming to these shores would give character, quality and meaning to the country.”

It’s far too easy to lose sight of what we’re trying to protect, when we instantly lash out against those we feel have done us wrong. American ideals are based on tolerance and equality. Emma Goldman wanted Americans to remember that. Power to the Peaceful is a song that follows in the footsteps that Goldman worked so hard to lay down. Read Emma Goldman’s essay,