Shaker Migration to America
- When
- 1774
- Where
- Liverpool, England; New York
- Episodes
- 2
In 1774, Ann Lee and eight followers sailed from Liverpool to America after a revelation received on 19 May. They arrived in New York on 6 August following a three-month voyage. The Shakers subsequently settled in British North America, though passages disagree on whether the initial Watervliet settlement dates to 1774 or 1776.
Episodes
- Departure from Liverpool
Ann Lee and eight followers sailed from Liverpool for colonial America on 19 May 1774.
- Arrival in New York
The group arrived in New York on 6 August 1774 after three months of sailing.
Background and detail
Background. Ann Lee, the founding leader of the Shakers, had joined the small community by 1758 and became its leader. Her followers later called her "Mother Ann". The society was known for egalitarian ideals, pacifism, and equality of the sexes, practices it institutionalized in the 1780s.
The Voyage. Following a revelation on 19 May 1774, Lee and eight followers sailed from Liverpool for colonial America. The journey lasted approximately three months, culminating in their arrival in New York on 6 August 1774.
Initial Settlement. The Shakers emigrated from England and settled in British North America. One passage places an initial settlement at Watervliet, New York (present-day Colonie), in 1774, while another dates the Watervliet settlement to 1776, leaving the year disputed. After arrival, the members were imprisoned for about six months because their faith prevented them from swearing an oath of allegiance; the passages do not tie this imprisonment to a specific date.
People involved
- Ann Lee · Founding leader of the Shakers (1736–1784)
- Shaker followers · Collective group of eight followers who emigrated with Lee
Sources
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.