The Modern School

Paul Avrich’s book provides an in-depth overview of anarchist education and the Modern School movement within the United States. Avrich’s book is divided into two parts, including the Modern School in New York and the Modern School in Stelton. Avrich begins his book with background information on how the movement began. He discusses Francisco Ferrer, the Escuela Moderna of Barcelona, and the events of the Tragic Week in 1909. Furthermore, he describes the Francisco Ferrer Association and key anarchist leaders of the movement. Following this background information, the book describes the Modern Schools of New York and Stelton. These chapters are a good resource to learn about specific teachers, students, and the typical school day at the Modern School. There is also information about the adult classes, art program, and The Modern School Magazine.

In The Communal Experience, Laurence Veysey explores the similarities between the secular and religious forms of cultural radicalism through a comparison of four communities. Veysey compares the Ferrer Colony and Modern School of Shelton, New Jersey with contemporary anarchist communities in New York, Vermont, and New Mexico. One of the most apparent differences between the anarchist and mystical groups are their approaches to communal life. While anarchist communities are loose, unstructured, and voluntaristic, the mystical communities are more rigid and place an emphasis on spiritual leaders.

In More Powerful Than Dynamite, Thai Jones explores the anarchist movement within the United States during the early twentieth century. Jones takes an in-depth look into the Harlem explosion that occurred on July 4, 1914. In this book, Jones explains how anarchist anger, progressive idealism, and plutocratic society resulted in the deadly explosion. This is a good resource to learn about important figures from this time period, such as Alexander Beckman, Emma Goldman, Upton Sinclair, and Andrew Carnegie.

In Utopia, New Jersey, Perdita Buchan explores eight utopian experiments that occurred in the state of New Jersey over the past century. New Jersey became an ideal location for these experiments due to its location between New York and Philadelphia, as well as its highly affordable land. While the founders of these colonies had the shared goal of improving life, they also varied significantly. The colonies that Buchan explores include Upton Sinclair’s colony in Englewood, an anarchist colony in Piscataway, and the Physical Culture City in Spotswood. While most of these colonies would ultimately fail, they left a lasting legacy on the state.