Mark+Holloway.+Heavens+on+Earth+Utopian+Communities+in+America

The idea of creating a Utopia on paper has rattled the minds of intellectuals, but beginning in 1680 some people fled their society in attempt to create a real Utopia. Idealistic people actually attempt to produce Utopias because they want to remedy something that their society lacks. The incentives that drove men such as Joseph Meacham and Etienne Cabet varied from wanting to implement religious tolerance and moral values to wanting a different form of government. //In Utopian Communities in// //America////: 1680 – 1880,// Holloway examines the lifestyles of each Utopia including the Shaker and Icarian Utopias, along with exploring the effects that these Utopias had on human society.

Mark Holloway describes the Shaker life as celibate, subject to rigid rules, and with little entertainment. Joseph Meacham founded the first eleven shaker societies, and established the laws and regulations for each citizen to abide by. One of the main tenets is that each member of the Shaker society should remain celibate for the entirety of his or her life. This does propose a question, how could a society continue for generations without the reproduction through sexual intercourse? The reasoning behind the Shakers belief in celibacy is that, “[there is] no law requiring the reproduction organs to be used simply because they exist” (66). Oddly enough there are still Shaker societies remaining to this day, even though the citizens are supposed to be celibate. The leaders of a Shaker community, which is comprised of two elders and two elderesses, possess the most power within the community. The appointed elders censor certain information so that it will not corrupt the citizens in their utopia. The Shakers have a radical opinion concerning entertainment, “Books of the world were frowned upon, instrumental music was forbidden, and tobacco was looked at askance. There were no paintings, no performances of plays, no games, indoor or outdoor” (74). The only form of entertainment that the Shakers deemed viable is learning new hymns and hymn tunes.

After Mark Holloway explains to the reader about the Shaker lifestyle, he then analyzes the negative and positive impacts that their ideas and attempts have had on human society. Holloway states the three major negatives, “restrictions upon personal liberty, the authoritarian government, and the unnatural suppression of sexual impulses” (78). Although the Shaker society has some substantial problems, their society has some redeeming attributes. The Shakers were pioneers in absolute equality on all fronts: sex, race, and ethnicity. There are two fold reasons that the Shakers created their society: one is to flee the corrupted society, and the other is to be a role model. According to Holloway “They fought slavery, war, and the worst aspects of society, not by pleading with a world in which their voices would have been lost, but by offering what they considered to be a model of the good life” (78). The Shaker utopia was created in 1785, and their beliefs on absolute equality were not enacted in America for women until 1920 and for blacks until 1968.

Etienne Cabet, a published writer, faced economic hard times in France and fled to America along with 480 followers to create an experimental Utopia called Icaria. Two hundred followers left leaving 280 members of Icaria remaining, and they established themselves at Nauvoo, Illinois in March of 1849. They had a Comite de Gerance, which consisted of a board of six directors, “one of whom was President of the community. The other five were heads of the department of Finance and Provisions; Clothing and Lodging; Education, Health and Amusement; Industry and Agriculture; and Publicity” (204). Unlike the Shakers, there was not equality among men and women, the six directors always consisted of males. Cabet began to imposing rules on the community without consent, “He prohibited the use of tobacco and whisky, interfered in the private lives of members, and encouraged spying” (204). This misuse of executive power initiated opposition, and the assembly split between three anti-Cabet members and three pro Cabet members. Cabet did not accept democratic voting; therefore as a result he was exiled from the community. Cabet retreated to St. Louis along with 180 followers. Luckily the men who followed Cabet were “skilled artisans” and created prosperity for the small town. The society was successful, until another rift occurred between two opposing groups. The older members of the society wanted a dictator like Cabet, while the younger members wanted a democracy. Consequently the younger members of the community left leaving only older people that had to compensate for the loss of labor and ingenuity that the younger generations produced. As a result Icaria ceased to exist. The Icarian community was not established because they were unhappy with the religious or moral values in France, but rather the form of government. The 480 people traveling from France to America did not have any concrete ideas that they wanted to instigate in their new government. Their lack of organization and lack of unity divided their society leaving Icaria in shambles.

Someone can write a composition about a Utopia, and create hypothetical scenarios that they think would be successful, but no one can be certain that these Utopias are actually palpable. The valiant efforts of a few idealists put some of the theorized Utopias to the test; some failed, but also some communities such as the Shakers still exist to this day. The Utopian communities in America that existed between 1680 and 1880 influenced and impacted the entire country molding the ideologies and philosophies that are implemented in today’s society.

-Big Brother