Randolph Silliman Bourne (1886–1918) was born in Bloomfield, New Jersey. He was a prolific essayist for his adult life, which was tragically cut short when he contracted the Spanish Flu in 1918 at age thirty-two. His was a progressive and hopeful perspective; he celebrated diversity, believed forcefully that war only leads to destruction, and held that education could drive positive change in American society. While Bourne’s writings ranged widely, he wrote extensively on educational reform, ‘trans-national’ multiculturalism, politics and political systems – especially in the United States – anti-war and pacifist policy, the role of intellectuals in society, and disability. After earning a scholarship at the age of twenty-three, Bourne went on to graduate from Columbia University in 1912 with a Bachelor of Arts and then a Master’s degree in 1913. He then won another scholarship allowing him to spend much of the following year travelling in Europe. Bourne began writing and editing for the Columbia Monthly while a student there. During his career, Bourne wrote for some of the most influential magazines and journals, including The New Republic, The Atlantic Monthly, The Seven Arts, The Masses, The Dial, The North American Review, and The New York Times.