Nashoba,
Shakers, Mormons, or Onieda – Which Do You Choose?
By:
Allyson Wiggs
Throughout the late 18th
and 19th century there was a huge push for perfection in a person’s
spiritual life. This push was caused by the Second Great Awakening. As a result
of this utopian communities were formed. These communities set a standard of
living for the people who decided to join them. There were four main
communities: Nashoba, Shakers, Mormons, and Oneida. Each of these communities
had a leader, a set of ideals, and a reason as to why the community failed.
Many of the ideals were based around spiritual preferences. Some of the
communities were very conservative on the rules while others were more liberal.[1] Although
all of these communities were very different from our society today, there is
only one community that I personally would ever want to live in.
The
Nashoba Community is the community that I share the most ideals with and the
one that I believe I would survive the best in. It was founded by Frances
Wright. Frances Wright was very different than many women during this time
period and definitely stood out. Wright was born and grew up in Scotland, but
when she visited America she enjoyed everything about it and had her own
opinions on some of the things going on. For example, she visited when religion
was very important and slavery was going on. These were two things she felt
strongly against. Wright was a free thinker who felt like she should control
her own beliefs and that a religion should not.[2] She
also believed that slavery should not be in place. Wright attempted to fix some
of these issues in the Nashoba Community. [3]
This
utopian community was known as “free lovers” because of their ideals on the way
that the world should work. Two of the main issues the Nashoba Community dealt
with was slavery and sexual relations. Since the members did not believe in
slavery, they allowed the slaves to buy freedom so that they could live in
emancipation settlements. They also determined that people should have sexual
relations with another person only if they loved them which meant they did not
have to be married. This concept went against many religious beliefs, but was
allowed in this community. Although this community seems to have a very modern
approach on different views, it no longer exists in today’s society. This
community ended because of a controversy over slaves. While some slaves were
free, some slaves were not because they could not afford to purchase freedom.
This controversy ended the community. [4]
Overall,
I believe that I would want to live in the Nashoba Community most because it
seems like the community with the closest ideals as we have today. In today’s
society, we have a very liberal view on most things. We are very opposed to
slavery just as they were and many people do not follow strictly to their
religion. In my opinion, I agree with Wright’s free spirit and believe that
people should make their own decisions for the most part. If the Nashoba
Community was never started, it makes me wonder what today’s society may be
like. I wonder if anyone would have realized that slavery is cruel and if there
is a possibility we may have it today. I also wonder if people would still
follow strictly to their religion. In some ways this may be better for people,
but others may feel as if it is a burden to them. In general, this community
really opened some people’s eyes to a different and more liberal way of life
that may have never been discovered otherwise.
[1]
Moore, Crystal. “Utopian Communities in Victorian America.” Lecture, History of
Sexuality in America, UNCC. Charlotte, North Carolina. March 3, 2014.
[2]
“"The Cause of Human Improvement": Frances Wright and the Nashoba
Community,” last modified 2011, http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~lxm8207/FannyWright.html.
[3]
“Revisiting Nashoba: Slavery, Utopia, and Frances Wright in America, 1818–1826,”
last modified 2014, http://alh.oxfordjournals.org/content/17/3/438.short.
[4] Moore, Crystal.
“Utopian Communities in Victorian America.” Lecture, History of Sexuality in
America, UNCC. Charlotte, North Carolina.
March 3, 2014.
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