Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Intentional communities have dotted the American historical landscape for over three centuries and their presence continues, if not always prominent. They have always embodied a radical critique of prevailing society; their members have consistently had a vision of a better world, and have had the courage to live that vision. The first communal movement to exhibit great longevity and gain widespread public recognition was that of the Shakers , who arrived from England in 1774 and ultimately established about twenty communal villages. They continue, although by 2007 they had dwindled to one village with three members. The nineteenth century saw the creation of many intentional communities of immigrants, especially Germans seeking religious freedom. The Harmony Society, founded in Pennsylvania in 1805 (and later located in Indiana and then again in Pennsylvania); the Amana Society , whose members began to arrive in New York state in 1843 (and moved on to Iowa in 1854); and the Society of Separatists at Zoar, Ohio, who arrived in 1817, were just three prominent examples of a remarkable burst of communal energy in the first half of the century. Other religious communes would follow, including the Oneida Community , whose members engaged in a long-lived group marriage and prospered from the manufacture of animal traps and then silverware, and the Hutterites , German-speaking Anabaptists ... log in or subscribe to read full text