12/29/2023 0 Comments Define utopia![]() Any Shakers who violated the terms of celibacy were exiled from the community. Furthermore, Shaker numbers dwindled because, as a commune that forbade marriage and sexual activity, there was no procreation. This was in direct conflict with Shaker values, and many Shakers began to fantasize of a life without such stringent rules. According to the Spiritualist Movement, it was possible to reconcile both the physical world, that of the flesh, with the spiritual world, that of worship and dedication to God. However, by the 1860s, Shakerism began to decline as the Spiritualist Movement took hold of many communities. By 1850, there were nearly 4,000 Shakers, and over the last 200 years, over 20,000 Americans have spent at least a fraction of their lives as Shakers. In 1830, the Shakers reached their height by this time, there were more than 18 Shaker communities stretching primarily from Kentucky to Maine. Furthermore, the Shakers became notable for their craftsmanship, because, according to Shaker tradition, God dwelt in the details and quality of their work (National Park Service, n.d.). Fugitive slaves, including Sojourner Truth, visited the Enfield Shaker community in Connecticut. The Shakers were connected to many reform movements of the 19th century, including feminism, pacifism, and isolationism. After Ann Lee’s death in 1784, her message continued to spread and colonies continued to form (Fogarty, 1980). The Shakers also believed in gender equality, even though their spheres of activity and responsibility were kept separate. Moreover, following these rules meant assurances of spiritual and physical equality non-Christians and all races were welcome if they agreed to these four principles. To rigorously follow these tenets meant that they could achieve perfection. There, at Niskeyuna, the first American Shaker community was formed (Yale University Library, n.d.).Īnn Lee’s visions informed four basic tenets: communal living, celibacy, regular confession of sins, and separation from the outside world. ![]() As described by Lee, “I knew that I had a vision of America, I saw a large tree, every leaf of which shown with such brightness as made it appear like a burning torch representing the Church of Christ which will yet be established in this land.” Thus, in 1774, Ann Lee and nine of her followers traveled to America, settling in Western New York State. ![]() In 1772, Lee received another vision from God. Lee began to attract a following, and she was thought to be the second appearance of Christ on earth (Hogan, n.d.). Inspired by this community, Ann Lee began to have visions of God, who told her that sexual intercourse was the root of all sin, thereby demanding celibacy of “true” followers. This sect of Quakers were notable for their shaking as they danced and spoke in tongues. In the 1760’s, Lee joined the Shaking Quakers, having become disillusioned with the Anglican church after her fourth child died in infancy. The Shakers were founded in 1770 in England by Ann Lee. Moreover, they were radical for their time in many ways 75 years before emancipation and 150 years before suffrage, Shakers were already practicing social, sexual, economic, and spiritual equality (WETA, 2002). Shaker influence can be widely seen in fashion, furniture, textiles, and music. The Shakers, named after their ecstatic dancing as worship, are the longest-lived American utopian experiment. The Shaker utopian community, or the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearance, is the quintessential commune to which all other utopian communities are compared. – Valentine Rathbun, 1781 Shakers dancing It is as impossible to fully set forth the power and effects of this new religion as to trace the airy road of the meteor. In: Organizations, Religious The Shakers – A Utopian Community By Catherine A.
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