Reacting to the Past™

The second edition of Greenwich Village, 1913: Suffrage, Labor, and the New Woman transports students into the bohemian section of New York City known as an epicenter of rebels, artists, and seekers of personal transformation. Assuming roles as residents of “the Village,” students gather at Polly’s restaurant to re-create discussions about feminism, marriage, family, work, and community. A faction of students in suffragist roles seek the community’s support for extending the franchise to women, while others in roles as labor organizers appeal to the community for help raising funds to support an ongoing strike.

Students in this game must clarify their beliefs and make their choices through a vote. Will they prioritize gender or social class, political or economic change, or reform or revolution? Will they use their talents to support a suffrage parade or to create a pageant for the silk workers of Paterson, New Jersey? Or will they reject both factions and continue to work toward a new America through the transformation of the self?