Age Of Reform: The First Great Awakening Movement

From the 1820s through the 1840s America was considered to be in the Age of Reform. This age was inspired from the second Great Awakening Movement of the early 1800s. After the first Great Awakening individuals and society were capable of indefinite improvements. Through the efforts of voluntary groups, reform became the badge of respectability. Voluntary groups during this time period were referred to as Utopian Communities. One major Utopian community was known as the Shakers. Founded by Ann Lee the Shakers are a Christian Protestant religious sect their name is derived from the movements of the members while dancing. Ann Lee to me was a very religious woman. She stood by her beliefs and promoted them. I like the fact that Ann Lee believed in gender equality and was an outspoken woman. Members of the Shaker communities held all their possessions in common and lived in a self-supporting, prosperous, inventive community. The shakers were considerably good with vegetables, herbs, and furniture making. They also believed …show more content…
One major success of the Oneida is the manufacture of Oneida silverware. Their silverware is one of the world’s largest designers and sellers of stainless steel and silver-plated cutlery and tableware. In the Oneida community complex marriage was practiced, all the members of the community were married to each other. The community did not believe in monogamy and marriage as sources of gender equality and strictly regulated childbirth and childcare. The Oneida sought perfection through purity of the heart and life without sin. The Oneida community was founded by John Humphrey Noyes in Oneida, New York. I think John Noyes is a little extreme with the perfectionist idea. Nobody is perfect at some point in your life span you are going to make a mistake and eventually sin. Also I disagree with the aspect of “…everybody in the community is married to each other” and monitoring a adults