Ezra Heywood Biography

(1829-1893)

Ezra Heywood was born in 1829. He was an anarchist, slavery abolitionist, and feminist. He developed an individual anarchist philosophy that was fundamental in printing the Free Love magazine, The Word. In 1872, Heywood published the first issue of the magazine that would go on to print the works of influential anarchists such as Josiah Warren, William B. Greene, and Benjamin Tucker. In 1878, Heywood was convicted of violating the 1873 Comstock Act, which forbade the printing of "obscene material" like ideas of free love and anarchy, and was sentenced to two years' hard labor. Due to massive protests by free speech advocates, Heywood was pardoned, and continued to print The Word even though he was arrested four more times before his death in 1893.

• 1829: birth
• 1852-1856: studied at Brown University
• 1856-1858: theological studies at Brown
• 1863: The War Method of Peace
• 1872-1890: published The Word with his wife
• 1873: legislation passed banning the mailing of obscene material
• 1877: is arrested by Anthony Comstock for mailing a copy of his literature
• 1878, June: convicted and sentenced to two years hard labor
• 1878, December: pardoned by President Hayes due to popular agitation
• 1881: speaks at the New England AntiDeath League, Third Annual Convention
• 1892-1893: continued publishing The Word
• 1893: death