Mother Ann Lee

Greetings to you all! My name is Ann Lee, but I am also known as “Mother” Ann Lee. Ever since I was young, I have believed in sexual freedom and celibacy. I was forced to marry my husband, and no other woman should have to go through with that. I, therefore, took the initiative and jumped into the reform movement, creating the Shakers; a group of Quakers who condemned marriage. We believe that by giving up sexual relations, you can attain perfect holiness. Our methods of “shaking” and “dancing” purge the spirit of sins by the power of the Holy Spirit. You must also accept equality for women and men alike, if your soul is to be saved. Of course, this reform movement will be hard, but you must “Do your work as if you had a thousand years to live and as if you were to die tomorrow." (a quote by yours truly [,me]) I currently emigrated from England to escape religious persecution, and quite frankly, the warden was getting tired of seeing my face. I arrived in this country on August 6, 1774, and I have lived in New York City for two years, regrouping my fellow Shakers. We then moved to Watervliet, a town a little bit from Albany, New York, where my Shaker community has developed and thrived. We even went on a missionary journey to find converts in Massachusetts and Connecticut. We realize how radical our ideas are, but we believe that this is the only true way to happiness and purity. "We [the Shakers] are the people who turned the world upside down." (another quote by me.)