Shakerism

Shakerism, the religious movement brought to America in 1774 by the English prophetess Ann Lee (ca. 1736–1784).In England, Lee, an illiterate factory worker and visionary, had joined a sectarian community—the “Shaking Quakers”—and emerged as a leader. Upon coming to America, Lee and a handful of followers eventually located at Watervliet near Albany, New York. The small community first attracted attention in 1780 because of its inhabitants’ refusal to participate in the Revolutionary War. The next year Lee and a group of disciples launched a missionary journey lasting twenty‐six months. They traveled throughout New England and eastern New York, gaining converts to their cause while also experiencing hostility. Proclaiming a new dispensation of regeneration, Lee taught her followers to flee sin, which she associated with sexual intercourse, and to strive for perfection. Shaker traditions describe her as a powerful charismatic who worked miracles.

Following Lee's death, leadership passed first to her English colleague James Whittaker, and then to her American disciples Joseph Meacham and Lucy Wright. They guided the young movement through critical organizational stages, consolidated the institutional side of Shakerism, and supervised its expansion into the Ohio Valley. By 1821 the Shakers had established a national society, formally entitled the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, and gathered into settlements stretching from Maine to Indiana. They adopted a body of rules, the “Millennial Laws,” and codified their theological views in major publications including the Testimony of Christ's Second Appearing (1808). They held several distinctive ideas, including the notion of God as Father and Mother. The Shakers demanded confession of sin, celibacy, communal ownership of property, and obedience to the ministry. Men and women shared leadership. The United Society attracted converts for different reasons: For some it offered a refuge; for others a challenge to a higher life. Shakerism reached its numerical height in the 1840s with nearly 4,500 members. Its organizational headquarters was at New Lebanon, New York. The Shakers were successful economically thanks to the pooling of resources, a vigorous work ethic, and abundant labor. They were noted for both agricultural products and hand‐manufactured items. After the Civil War, facing competition from new forms of manufacturing and unable to attract young persons or to retain male members, a numerical decline occurred. In 1875 villages began to close, and geographical retreat followed. The society changed in other ways, too. Some members, notably Frederick W. Evans and Antoinette Doolittle at Mount Lebanon, adopted increasingly liberal religious and social views, leaving behind the sectarian mentality. By 1900 the aging society included fewer than 600 members. At the end of the twentieth century only one village—Sabbathday Lake, Maine—remained.

The Shakers influenced American religion and culture to a degree beyond their numbers. A revival of interest in the Shakers’ material culture occurred during the second half of the twentieth century. Village sites became historical museums; chairs and other objects commanded attention from collectors, designers, and entrepreneurs. Even Shaker religion enjoyed renewed respect as the twentieth century ended.
See also Religion; Society of Friends; Utopian and Communitarian Movements.

Bibliography

Priscilla J. Brewer , Shaker Communities, Shaker Lives, 1986.
Stephen J. Stein , The Shaker Experience in America: A History of the United Society of Believers, 1992.

Stephen J. Stein