Research Proposal: The Shaker Community

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Lancieri 1 Mikayla Lancieri Dr. William Ball FSEM 100 24 Sept 2015 Proposal The Shaker community is one of the longest lasting Utopian communities in the United States today. It was established in 1784, and there are still a few remaining members of the community at this time. The only lasting community is Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine. The key concept that I will explore in my essay is why the Shaker Community outlived many other similar utopian communities. While doing this, I will branch out and explore many other questions and ideas that may be helpful in coming to a decision about the longevity of the community. I will explore the origins of the community, specifically following the lead of questions about the founder of …show more content…

Cambridge University Press on Behalf of the Economic History Association, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. Metin M. Cosgel and John E. Murray wrote the article to compare the productivity and performance of communal societies by focusing on the United Society of Believers, better known as the Shakers. The article is meant to compare and contrasts the average productivities between the Shaker community and other towns, which were not utopias, through a variety of ideas. Heim, Sibyl R. "The Shakers." JSTOR. Congress on Research in Dance, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. Sibyl R. Heim strives to point out how the Shaker community reflected American character and growth. She emphasizes the simplicity of their community and how this gave them a child-like innocence. She explains how their simplicity was essential to their religion and unity. Kruger, Mark. "The Concept Of Individualism In American Historical Communities." Communal Societies 26.2 (2006): 141-165. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. Mark Kruger overviews multiple historical, American communities, including the Shaker community. He explains how individualism within the American, utopian communities such as the Shaker community helped to preserve and extend the values of individual dignity, self-development, and empowerment within their own communities and the world around

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