With the Shakers

I spent this week in upstate New York, studying the Shakers and visiting the sites of their three oldest villages.  The Shakers first came to America in 1774, led by Mother Ann Lee, who was considered by her later followers as the female version of Jesus Christ, or "Christ's Second Appearing."  They believed she was "the woman clothed with the sun" described in the book of Revelation.  I had a great time visiting Watervliet, Mount Lebanon and Hancock Shaker Village, listening to lectures about their lives, looking at their artifacts, and tuning in to their unique Utopian vision of "Heaven on Earth," as my NEH seminar was titled.

I ran into my colleague, Priscilla Lindberg, who was acting as a doula for her friend who had just had a baby up in Albany.  Over a mediocre Mexican lunch, she asked me several questions about the Shakers:  what was so American about them?  How are they representative of the rest of American society?   Some of the answers are obvious, whereas others took some more reflection on my part:

First and foremost, Shakers were classic in their exceptionalism.  Issachar Bates, in his 1807 Hymn, wrote: "The Gospel clear as noonday/from England to America/On Eagle's wings did soar away/unto the place appointed." (NB: that should be pronounced "Americay," by the way, to rhyme with "day.") Like Winthrop and the Plymouth colony, Shakers had the understanding that they would be a light unto the world, an ideal community free from sin.  They took their understanding of purity a step further than the Puritans did, with public confession of all sins required to join the community, and a commitment to celibacy and renunciation of all private property.  I guess the communalism isn't what we would call "American" today, and I think it was the requirement to give up your self-will and individual private property (not the lack of sex) that caused the Shakers to decline in numbers.

Second, Shakers were extremely enterprising and hard working.  They worked all day, and delighted in numerous technological advancements (this should help you stop getting them confused with people like the Amish and Luddites) to help them.  According to most historians, they invented the flat broom, the circular saw, and the vacuum packed can.  Their design for a washing machine won first prize at the centennial exhibition in Philadelphia.  They were great at business, selling seeds, bonnets, and all sorts of other stuff to their neighbors.  They rejected "worldly" concerns, but didn't mind making a profit when people of the world came to purchase their excellent goods.

The Platonic Form of a table

The Shakers were incredibly progressive and open to new ideas.  They welcomed revelation from the spirit world in the form of songs, dances, paintings (called "gift drawings"), prophecies and other words of wisdom.  They spoke in tongues, both during the era of the founders and during a period called the "Era of Manifestations" which took place from 1837 until around the 1850s.  Some of their most memorable songs (such as "Simple Gifts," which everyone knows) and some of the most beautiful amazing art work came out of this period:

A Gift From Mother Ann

Of course, for me the most fascinating part of the world of the Shakers is their theology, which I believe led them to believe in radical gender equality.  Like most new religious movements that originated in the United States, Shakers reject Trinitarian theology.  However, unlike other early American religions, Shakers believed that the Godhead was both male and female.  They spoke of God the Father and Holy Mother Wisdom, that same Sophia spoken of in the apocryphal book of Wisdom.  They believed that the Christ Spirit that made Jesus into the annointed holy one of God had now re-appeared in the person of Mother Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers.  For this reason, men and women were considered to be completely equal in status in the Shaker community.  Each family was run by an Elder and an Eldress, who worked together to take care of the family.  Shakers such as Anna White were outspoken supporters of women's suffrage, even though the Shakers didn't vote themselves!  Some scholars even speculate that the Seneca Falls Convention was held in upstate New York because of Shaker influence.

If you get the chance, you should definitely go up there and visit the old Shaker villages and participate in some Shaker dancing and singing if you can.  Have some delicious Shaker food, especially the whole grain bread they make.  There are still three Shakers living, but they are up in Maine, at Sabbathday Lake.  Maybe I can go visit them on my road trip next summer.