The most striking aspect of “American Moderns” is how radical movements that originated in this era are portrayed in a more positive light. Previous history courses display political movements like the anarchists as a small group that was suppressed. Stansell treats them as free spirited thinkers who caused progress, showing both the successes and failures of people like Emma Goldman.

Another part that stood out to me was how Village life reformed the way people talk and interact. I always took for granted that we have free speech in America given that it is a constitutional right but the distinctive culture portrayed in “American Moderns” takes those rights and test them. People from all walks of life found a public outlet for their ideas and were able to entertain thoughts that weren’t accepted by mainstream thinkers. It is fascinating to see how New York City came into the spotlight as a center for free thinking and culture, its also disappointing how the whole movement soon disappeared, or was replaced. By the end radicalism spread past the village and was largely watered down and accepted.