American History
Religious Utopias
Oneida, Shakers, and Mormons
I feel it appropriate to begin by defining what, in fact, a "utopia" is:
1820 - 1860
noun
1. an imaginary island described in Sir Thomas More's Utopia (1516) asenjoying perfection in law, politics, etc.
2. an ideal place or state.
3. any visionary system of political or socialperfection.
(Dictionary.com)
Utopia:
During the mid-19th century, Americans began reshaping their culture to become what they believed to be a utopian societies. Communities established different cults, several of which were the Oneida, Shakes, and Mormons. As we explore these new religious factions, let us keep in mind the group's ultimate goal: to make their own religious utopia in the United States. Although most of smaller communities were short-lived, not surviving the dacade of the 1850s, they all had a lasting impact on America. (Johnson 810)
Analyse the Democratic Ideals each group brought into existance using the acronymn COPPERS:
Citizen Participation
Opportunity
People vs. Powerful
Equalitiy
Responsibility
Social Modiblity
Welcome to Utopia
Citizen Participation - everyone was part of the communal living
and group marriage (Utopian Movement 3)
Opportunity - they sold traps and manufactured silver spoons. (Utopian Movement 3)
People vs. Powerful - there were no varying stations of power,
everyone was equal. If anyone did have power it was Noyes, their
founder
The women rejected the male authority and traditional family bonds: "The Oneidans took pride in what they considered their liberation of women from the demands of male 'lust' and from the traditional bonds of family."(Brinkley 294)
Equality - again, they were all equal in their communal living and
marital states (Utopian Movement 3)
Responsibility - they worked together as a group, each person
benefiting the whole group. (Utopian Movement 3) When a child was
born in their community, the mother was responsible for it only for
the first few years of its life before the community took
responsibility for it. (19th-Century 3)
Social Mobility - if they are all equal, there is no status climb
Demoscratic Ideals
Where was the Oneida Community?
Noyes took his followers to Oneida, in Madison County, New York where they built the Oneida Community Mansion House on their communal property where they shared meals and communally raised children. (United States 5)
Oneida
Leaders
1848-1881
The Oneida founder was John Humphrey Noyes.(Utopian Movement 3)(Brinkey 294)
Goals
To escape sin and attain perfection through faith, communal living, and group marriage (Utopian Movement 3)
Defensive Arguments
They believed:
- through faith and conversion, they would achieve earthly perfection and escape sin (Utopian Movement 3)
- through communal living, everyone would be of equal status and join together as a community
- through group marriage...I'm not sure what they were thinking with this one
Definitions
- faith - Christ already returned and commanded them to live this way (Utopian Movement 3)
- communal living - everyone lived together as if they were one family (Utopian Movement 3)
- group marriage - "they practiced a ' free love' theology in a doctrine of complex marriage, which meant that every man in the community was married to every woman and every woman to every man" (Utopian Movement 3)
- "perfectionalists" - residents who rejected traditional notions of family and marriage (Brinkley 194)
Movement Successes and Failures
Failures - they were often outcast by the greater community (Utopian Movement 3)
Successes - their traps were famous at the time and their silver spoon industry became quite successful (United States 5)(Utopian Movement 3)
Nay - their leader fled to Canada to avoid presecution in 1879 and the community and its beliefs was disbanded by 1881 and no longer exists (United States 6)(Utopian Movement 3)
Overall Sucessful? Yae, or nay?
The Oneida societies demonstrated an American desire for strong community and equal work with equal rewards.
Where was the Shaker Community?
They fouded more than 20 communities in the Northeast and Northwest. (Brinkley 294)
Shakers
Goals
Leaders
"Mother" Ann Lee (Brinkley 294)(Utopian Movement 3)
To redifine traditional gender roles and "shake" themselves free from sin. (Brinkley 294)
Defensive Arguments
They believed:
- sin could shaken off through chanting and dance (Brinkley 294)
- through their practices, particularly celibacy, they would "create a society set apart from the chaos and disorder their believed had come to characterize American life." (Brinkley 294)
1775- today
Citizen Participation - contact between women and men was
strickley limited (Brinkley 294)
- congregation participated in "shakes" - chanting and dance
(Brinkley 294)
Opportunity - they created and sold handicrafts. They were famous
for their garden seed and herb business. (Utopian Movement 3)
People vs. Powerful - women possessed the most power (Brinkley
294)
Equality - sexual equality (Brinkley 294)
Responsibility - to practice celibacy (Brinkley 294)
- to participate in the religious ritual of "shaking"
- to attract converts often adopting orphans to raise in their
community, since they could not have their own children. (19th-
Century 3)
Social Mobility - although they attempted sexual equality, the women
possessed the most power; therefore, the only social mobility
would be to be an influencial woman in the society.
Demoscratic Ideals
Movement Successes and Failures
Failures - because they practiced celibacy, there were no Shakers born into the religion. Shakers had to choose to participate. (Brinkley 294)
Successes - There is a remnant of the Shaker community left today. (Brinkley 294)
Yae and nay - they have lasted until today, but have exponentially deminished in size. (Brinkley 294)
Overall Sucessful? Yae, or nay?
The Shaker societies demonstrated an American desire for a sexual equality while practicing a more modern religious ritual (in comparison to milder utopian communities).
Where was the Mormon Community?
They were fouded by Joseph Smith in upstate New York. (Brinkley 294) Their two original settlements, however, were in Independence, Missouri and Kirtland, Ohio. (Brinkley 295) They then founded Nauvoo in Illinois. (Brinkley 295) It was in Nauvoo that Smith was arrested and killed. After his murder, the Mormons abandoned Nauvoo. (Brinkley 295-296)
Citizen Participation - all members would model their new
righteous community to the greater American community
Opportunity - wherever they traveled, the Mormons constructed
little communities within the American community. One of their
settlements in Salt Lake City, Utah was made famous by an
elaborate irrigatio system. (2) They must have had very good
engineers.
People vs. Powerful - everyone was considered equal / equally
blessed to be God's chosen people. (Mormon) My understanding is
that the seperation of power comes from levels of commitment to
the church (aka a pastor or someone like Joseph Smith).
(Mormon)
Equality - each person was divinely chosen for a specific plan
(Mormon). So, I suppose, each person was considered equal in
purpose, only differing in power according to society.
Responsibility - they are supposed to abstain from things that may
mar their bodies. They are responsible to take care of their bodily
temples. Some things they avoid include alcohol, tobacco, tea and
coffee. (Mormon)
- they are also responsible to remain chaste until marriage and
fidelity within the marriage (Mormon)
Social Mobility - there is a hierarchy of the Mormon church
Demoscratic Ideals
Mormons
Leaders
Goals
Joseph Smith (Brinkley 294)(Utopian Movement 4)
To create a society believing in their "radical religious docrines - their claims of new prophets, new stripture, and divine authority." (Brinkley 295)
They called their society the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (Utopian Movement 4)
Defensive Arguments
They believed:
- just as Jesus Christ was a man and was perfect, humans may attempt and possibly succeed in perfect lives. (Brinkley 296)
- Jesus Christ had come to America after His ressurrection, but the communities had collapsed (Brinkley 294)
- Mormons believed they could be the righteous community Jesus intended there be in the U.S. (Brinkley 294)
Movement Successes and Failures
Failures - their leader, Joseph Smith was imprisoned for ordering the destruction of a printing press that opposed his views. He was killed in jail by an angry mob. (Brinkley 295)
- Smith began practicing polygamy. (Utopian Movement 4) This practice was probably not recieved well by American society of the day.
Successes - In the early 1840s, the Mormon community was socially and economically powerful. (Brinkley 295)
Overall Sucessful? Yae, or nay?
Yae - Mormon is still prevelant today.
The Mormon societies demonstrated the desire to abstain from bodily and spiritual polution through membership of the Mormon church.
Did these movements have a lasting impact on America? Yes, even in the subtlest ways.
- Although the Oneida have all but dissapeared as a religious group, their spoon industry is still running. You can shop for Oneida
spoons online.
- The Shakers still have a small bit of their community remaining today.
- The Mormons have a thriving religious following in our community today.
Works Cited
Information Works Cited
"5 19th-Century Utopian Communities in the United States." History. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/5-19th-century-utopian-communities-in-the-united-states>.
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. 6th ed. Vol. 1. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Companies, 2010. Print.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2015. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/utopia>.
Johnson, Thomas H. "Utopian Socialism." The Oxford Companion to American History. N.p.: Oxford UP, 1966. 810. Print.
"Mormon Culture and Lifestyle." Mormon Religion Mormon Culture and Lifestyle Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
<http://mormonreligion.org/mormons/mormon-culture-and-lifestyle>.
United States. National Park Service. "Utopian Societes-The Amana Colonies National Register of Historic Places Travel
Itinerary." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/amana/utopia.htm>.
"Utopian Movement." United States History. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2015. <tdl.org/txlor-
dspace/bitstream/handle/2249.3/685/13_utopian_move.htm?sequence=13>.
Picture Works Cited
"Blank Green Street or Road Sign." Cutcaster. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2015. <http://cutcaster.com/photo/901211007-Blank-green-street-
or-road-sign/>.
"Boogiezone Xchange - Boogiezone Utopia." Boogiezone Utopia. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.boogiezoneutopia.com/programs/boogiezone-xchange/>.
"Utopian Movement." Utopian Movement. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2015. <http://tdl.org/txlor-
dspace/bitstream/handle/2249.3/685/13_utopian_move.htm?sequence=13>.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakers>.