Pros And Cons Of The Shakers

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a utopia can be defined as, “a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions,” (Merriam-Webster). However, the idea of a society that has reached perfection can be interpreted many different ways as everybody as a different idea of perfection. While a society may not be able to achieve perfection due to its versatile interpretation, a society can be considered a utopia when it possesses basic characteristics that align with perfection, which is why the Shakers effectively demonstrate a utopia. The Shakers are a community of believers who adhere to their strict beliefs and choose to live simply. They were founded in 1747 in Manchester, England, but today, the only active Shaker village left resides in New Gloucester, Maine (Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village). The Shakers demonstrate a utopia by their ability to live peacefully amongst one another, their equal treatment of all members in the community, and their success as a community and in productions.

When the idea of perfection comes to mind, we often think of peace as a general characteristic. A society that demonstrates a utopia can effectively live

In order to a society to be considered a utopia, they should be successful as a community and be able to flourish. Only a few Shakers boarded the ship and traveled to America from England. When they arrived and were able to settle down, their community grew to include over 6,000 new converts (Shaker Historical Trail). The Shakers also became successful in the agriculture and manufacturing industry. They invented many agricultural advances and produced goods such as food, clothing, furniture and more (Shaker Historical Trail). To this day, The Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village stills produces and sells goods (Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village). The Shakers demonstrate a utopia by their ability to be successful in work and