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In 1788, following the death of charismatic founder Mother Ann Lee, the celibate religious group known as the Shakers set out to institutionalize equality of the sexes in their theology, government, and daily practice. In this book, Glendyne Wergland evaluates how well they succeeded in that mission by examining the experiences of women within Shaker communities over more than a century. Drawing on an extensive archive of primary documents, Wergland discusses topics ranging from girl-hood, healt...

This collection of more than 100 images captures the essence of Shaker life in poses both pious and playful, and records how individual identity was nurtured, rather than extinguished by the community. Carefully chosen from thousands of archival photos and from a drawerful of snapshots saved by Eldress Bertha Lindsay, one of the last Shakers to live at Canterbury and herself a consummate photographer, these pictures - most of them never intended for publication - give new life to the Shaker life...

The first biography of a key and complex American religious figure of the nineteenth century, considered by many to be the "father of Shaker literature." Richard McNemar (1770–1839) led a remarkable life, replete with twists and turns that influenced American religions in many ways during the early nineteenth century. Beginning as a Presbyterian minister in the Midwest, he took his preaching and the practice of his congregation in a radically different, evangelical "free will" direction during...

As the Director of Canterbury Shaker Village, the author has had unlimited access to the Village's archives, resources, and grounds, examining papers and artifacts, exploring the 25 remaining buildings, and experiencing the seasons. He has literally been able to walk in the footpaths of the Canterbury Shakers, whose community remained prominent for 200 years. It is one of the oldest, most typical, and most completely preserved of all the Shaker villages, the only community with an intact first-...

During the 1950s two Senate investigations, both highly publicized through the new medium of television, revealed the spread of racketeers and corruption among labor unions. Taking advantage of these sensational revelations, business interests, who for years had chafed against the federal government's pro-labor policies, mounted a campaign to curb labor's power. With the support of the business-oriented administration of Dwight Eisenhower, they pushed through Congress a new "reform" law -- the L...

A Shaker Village is the second book in a series of Schiffer Paper Craft Projects. It is designed to be both instructional and gratifying as a do-it-yourself creation. The village consists of 6 cut and assemble architectural and models in H-O scale, printed on heavy stock in full color. The buildings represent the nucleas of an agrarian village typical of the Shaker communites that sprang up in several of the eastern states in the early 19th century. Middle grades-ages 8-12.

Drawing on archival material from Shaker members, observers, and apostates, noted historian Suzanne R. Thurman offers a scholarly yet eminently readable study of life in two of the oldest, most prominent American Shaker villages: the Harvard and Shirley communities of massachusetts. Even as she delves into the complex fabric of Shaker social life, Thurman challenges traditional perceptions of gender roles within the community. Shaker spiritual and social ethics, she points out, strongly favored...

Discusses the origin and growth of the Shaker movement in America, the way of life of the Shakers, and the decline in their numbers.

From the very beginning in the 1770s, singing was an important part of the worship services of the Shakers, formally known as the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing. Yet until the early nineteenth century, nearly all Shaker songs were wordless - expressed in unknown tongues or as enthusiastic vocalizations. Only when Shaker missionaries moved west into Ohio and Kentucky did they begin composing hymn texts, chiefly as a means of conveying the sect's unconventional religious...

Traces the rise and decline of the Shakers who immigrated to the United States from England in 1774 and settled throughout New England.