Ann Lee

Ann Lee

Ann Lee 1736-84, English religious visionary, founder of the Shakers in America. Born in Manchester, she worked there in the cotton factories and then became a cook. In 1762 she was married to Abraham Stanley, a blacksmith. In 1758 she had joined the "Shaking Quakers." Claiming revelation in a vision (c.1770) that the second coming of Christ was fulfilled in her, she became their accepted leader and was known as Ann the Word or Mother Ann. Although illiterate, she claimed the gift of tongues and the ability to discern spirits and work miracles. She was also convinced of the holiness of celibacy. In 1774 she led a band of eight to America, where, two years later, at Watervliet, N.Y., the first Shaker settlement in America was founded.

Bibliography: See biography by R. Francis (2001).

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"Ann Lee." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Ann Lee." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Lee-Ann.html

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Lee, Ann

Lee, Ann (1736–84), known as Mother Ann, was the leader of the sect called The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Coming, commonly called Shakers because of its members' physical manifestations of spiritual influence during worship. She emigrated from her native England to America (1774) to preach against war, oaths, and sexual relations. Her New England tour (1781) aroused much antagonism because her followers accepted her as the second coming of Christ and because she claimed the gifts of discerning spirits and working miracles.

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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Lee, Ann." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Lee, Ann." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-LeeAnn.html

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Lee, Ann." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-LeeAnn.html

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Lee, Ann

Lee, Ann (1736–84) English mystic, member of the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, popularly called the Shakers. The Shaker sect was persecuted in Britain and, in 1774, Lee and eight others fled to the American colonies. In 1776, she founded a colony near Albany, New York State, and attracted many converts.

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"Lee, Ann." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Lee, Ann." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-LeeAnn.html

"Lee, Ann." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-LeeAnn.html

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Lee, Ann

Lee, Ann (founder): see SHAKERS.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Lee, Ann." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Lee, Ann." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-LeeAnn.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Lee, Ann." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-LeeAnn.html

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Lee, Ann

Lee, Ann. See Shakerism.

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Paul S. Boyer. "Lee, Ann." The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Paul S. Boyer. "Lee, Ann." The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-LeeAnn.html

Paul S. Boyer. "Lee, Ann." The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-LeeAnn.html

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