Shakers

The Shakers, a perfectionist utopian movement, originated in Manchester, England, after Ann Lee, a member of the Shaking Quakers, had a visionary experience. She claimed to have seen Adam and Eve in sexual intercourse, after which Jesus enjoined her to teach others that lust was the source of sin. Her ideas about lust and corruption were intensified by the death of her four children. Thereafter, she suffered a dread of sexual relations and formed a religious order based on celibacy.  Their religious services provided emotional release through trembling, speaking in tongues, and falling into trances-hence, the name Shakers.      In 1774 Ms. Lee moved her group to America. They settled first near Albany, New York, but after Lee's death in 1784, they moved to New Lebanon, New York. By 1822 there were four thousand Shakers in more than a dozen communities.      In the 1780s leaders initiated a cooperative economic system and organized communes composed of extended "families." Shaker communities abolished private property, regulated all behavior, and imposed mandatory confessions. Organized around the concept of celibacy, Shaker communities kept men and women carefully segregated. Children were raised communally.      Membership turnover was always high, but before 1830 many members stayed for decades. Often whole families joined. Shaker population reached its peak of about five to six thousand during the 1830s but then dropped dramatically.      Shakers were renowned for their original styles of vocal music, crafts, and architecture. Adhering to the idea that form follows function, they created furniture designs that are highly prized for their simple lines and functionality. Shakers invented an impressive array of devices from the common clothespin and the flat broom to a revolving oven and a folding stereoscope. They pioneered the industry of herbal medicines and the selling of garden seeds in packets.