All Things New: American Communes & Utopian Movements 1860-1914

by Robert S. Fogarty

From the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries America has been both a haven for utopian dreamers and a fertile ground for experiments in community. Closely examining the decades from the Civil War to World War I, Robert S. Fogarty provides the first comprehensive study of a neglected chapter in the history of American utopian and communal experiments. Countering the view that utopianism declined dramatically after the 1840s , Fogarty uncovers a wealth of utopian experiments across the United States from 1860 to 1914. He examines some 125 communities and their leaders, ranging from the secular and entreprenurial to the charismatic and mystical. These engrossing tales of communes gain both authority and vitality from his exhaustive research in primary sources, including newspapers, journals, and letters and from the inclusion of historic photographs of colonists and prophets. Fogarty's arguments reflect recurrent cultural forces in American history, as he defines new territory in the history of utopian and communal movements. This trenchant work, accompanied by its new foreword, offers a fresh perspective on the persistent theme of defining community and self.

314 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Tbfrank · Rating 3 out of 5]

A scholarly presentation of the topic surveying a relatively ignored and unknown era of American history. The breadth and strength of the movement which the author traces from the first half of the 19th century into the early 20th was remarkable. The impetus to separate from mainstream society and form like-minded communities stemmed from dissatisfaction with social, spiritual, and economic conditions, many of which mirror issues present in America today. The tension between the American ideal of individualism and the desire to strengthen community's bonds presented challenges to all who sought to improve conditions for everyone.

The long-standing tradition of such movements throws a new light on the reappearance of communes in the 1960's, showing them not as an aberration but a reapplication of a solution that has been an integral part of the American social fabric for nearly 200 years.