​Craig Van Diesel

Oneida Community

• Founded by John Humphrey Noyes in 1848 (Utopian Movement)

• John Humphrey believed he had found a true religion in one of Charles G. Finneys revivals (Utopian Movement)

• Noyes believed that when you converted, you became perfect and had a complete release from sin (Utopian Movement)

• Noyes believed that Jesus had already returned to earth and had comanded them to escape sin through faith in God (Utopian Movement)

• By 1851 there had been about 200 people who had joined the group (Utopian Movement)

• The group practiced a "free love" theology which made it so that any man in the group was married to any woman in the goup and any woman was married to any man (Utopian Movement)

• The group struggled until a rich inventor who had just made a new steel trap joined, and soon the group made lots of money off of making the traps (Utopian Movement)

• In 1879 officials tried to arrest Noyes for adultery, but he then fled to Canada to avoid prosecution

 

 

The Shakers

• Founded by Ann Lee Stanley in 1774

• Ann believed that God was genderless and she was the female incarnate of the trinity, as Jesus had been the male (Utopian Movement)

• She believed in celibacy, which means they would have a perfect world when they go to heaven (Utopian Movement)

• By 1830, 18 seperate Shaker communities had been established in eight states (Utopian Movement)

• They had farms, manufactured and sold furniture and handicrafts, and were leaders in herbal medicine business (Utopian Movement)

• Trying to replenish their communities, they adopted many children, but few would convert to the religion (Utopian Movement)

 

 

The Mormons

• Founded by Joseph Smith in 1827

• Smith claimed he had made a discovery of golden plates, which he had translated into The Book of Mormon (Utopian Movement)

• The book resembles the Old Testament and is seen as being an ancient document, though it captured many modern themes (Utopian Movement)

• In 1830 Smith founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and he led his congregation into Ohio

• The community prsopered bu the local protestants around them despised them (Utopian Movement)

• In 1840 Smith began practicing polygramy (Utopian Movement)

• The group had begun to grow, and soon Smith was attacked an killed (Utopian Movement)

• Brigham Young began to lead the Mormons, and soon in 1846 they had founded Salt Lake City

• After a few years the group had created an irrigation system and were prospering (Utopian Movement)