The Story of the Shakers

by Flo Morse

Featuring a new introduction, a compassionate look at a religious movement that shaped America “Put your hands to work and your hearts to God,” Mother Ann Lee told her spiritual children more than 200 years ago. Today, as the number of Shakers has dwindled to only a handful, the story of the Shakers has never been more important to record and understand. In this classic book featuring a brand-new introduction, Flo Morse offers a stimulating, graceful summary of Shaker beliefs and the way of life that still endures among a chosen few. 15 black-and-white photographs

Genres: History

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1986

Reviews

[Sparrow .]

This is a “gift shop book” (the cost: a cool nine dollars) designed to be sold at a Shaker Museum, full of black-and-white illustrations – at first drawings, later photographs. (The final one has the caption: “Sister Frances Carr gathers herbs in a large oval carrier.”) The cover is a seductive blue, with a photo of a curving Shaker doorway. “The Story of the Shakers” is an advertisement for their faith. I had no idea that the religion was based around a woman from England who was the second coming of Christ! Her name was Ann Lee and she taught that the Millennium, “a thousand years of heaven on earth,” had already begun. Here is one of her miracles:

“… brought to trial by church authorities, Mother Ann was spared… when she cried out in seventy-two distinct languages. The four ministers who were her judges knew she was unschooled and could not even read or write English. Just in case it was a gift of God, they let her go.”

Mother Ann moved to the USA – which was not yet the USA – in 1774, and the Shaker drama took place here. They were antiracist, anti-sexist, pacifist (though black members lived in separate communities in the South.) They lived communally, did ecstatic dancing, and wrote thousands of songs (“Simple Gifts” being the only famous one.) They were herbalists and inventors:

“The list is long of things the Shakers made first or made better: among them, the common clothespin, cut nails, the flat broom, the circular saw, a metal pen, a rotary harrow, a tongue-and-groove machine, a screw propeller, a threshing machine, an improved washing machine, a pea sheller, an apple parer, a revolving oven, and an improved wood-burning stove. They also made water-repellent cloth and combination window sash.”

Surprisingly, they defended the Oneida Community, with its “free love” practices. And the founder of Oneida, John Humphrey Noyes, in a book on American socialism, called the Shakers “the most influential social architects of modern times.” Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson visited them. According to this book, the Shakers invented spirit mediumship on this continent.

Except for celibacy, I’m ready to join! (Mother Ann said: “Heaven is a state of mind.”)

[Allen Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad history of the Shakers. A bit of an inside perspective with a lot of the religious mysticism thrown in. If you are looking for straight forward unbiased history this is not the book for you but if you want a bit of an "insiders" perspective it's not a bad read. Let me clarify though that to my knowledge the author is not of the Shaker faith ( she is married so I don't think that's possible) but she does write a " religious " not a fact history.

[Madison Safer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear and concise.

[Tamhack · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very short history of the Shakers.
The Shakers had a very noble idea to try to build a little heaven on earth. For the most part they did succeed with the tools and the knowledge they had on hand.
It was a little sad to see their way of life die out --I think if they had been able to live as true family units and not as celebrate religious family units, they may have persisted.
It was interesting to read about their technology(common clothespin, cut nails, flat broom, circular saw, metal pen, rotary harrow, tongue and groove machine, screw propeller, threshing machine, improved washing machine, pea sheller, apple parer, revolving oven, improved wood burning stove, water repellant cloth, combination window sash plus hundreds of other time savers, gadgets, farming and building). It was very advanced for that time.
Pg. 26 "While their occupations were rewarding and profitable, worship was the Shakers' chief joy and recreation. Now that they lived in groups, their dancing meetings were family-style."

Interesting points and beliefs:
As with many different religions in America-they were persecuted and were driven out and had to find places to practice their religion in peace:
P 32- "All the religious prejudice, persecution, violence of New England were repeated, with the added lawlessness of the frontier mob."
p 40- All were welcome to join the Believers. "That the dead could still be converted to find eternal rest in heaven was a belief of the Shakers of those times."
The tree of life which was one of the Shakers' favorite symbols. "...the tree grows in this spirit land."
Felt little children nearer to heaven than adults.

[Liz De Coster · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slim, gentle book that reads like a long Wikipedia article sans links or even a slightly wordy children's book. Morse does a good job of laying out the basics but doesn't much go beyond that. It is described as a "summary", but I didn't feel her research was integrated into the book. It read like a story rather than a history, I think.

[Miranda Nicole]

A quick history of the Shakers is the best way to describe this book which was exactly what I was looking for. I knew nothing about the Shakers and this provided me with a quite a bit of history in a short book. I can't wait to learn more about this intriguing religion.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intersting information about the Shakers. This was a good followup to our visit to the Shaker village in Canterbury, NH.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short history of the Shakers and the impact of their communal living in the US.