Ann Lee

"Put your hands to work, and give your hearts to God."
-Ann Lee

Personal Background:• I was born on February 29, 1736 in Manchester, England
• I died on September 8, 1784
• I had no schooling therefore I was illiterate
• My father was an English Blacksmith
• I had five brothers and two sisters
• I married Abraham Standerin and was pregnant eight times however none of my children lived to be older than 6.
• I was the founder of the Shakers
Issues:• I was a strict believer that celibacy and confession of sin are the only true road to salvation
• I taught that trembling represented sins leaving the holy body by the Holy Spirit
• I came to the conclusion that I was Christ’s female counterpart and I was the second coming of Christ
• I believed that men and women should be treated equally and that we should be kept apart in order to prevent any temptation amongst the genders
• During religious worship we danced, shook and talked in tongues
Solutions:• I founded a utopian community that unified men and women
• The Shakers gave everyone a specific job and we all lived a communal life
• We moved to America in 1774 and settled in Albany because God told me, in the form of a tree, that there was a place made for us in America
• My ideas were considered to hostile to some people and I was molested on several occasions as well as abducted.
• I continued to seek for more coverts and was also put into prison

Relationships to others:• I worked with John Hocknell who helped me establish a settlement in Niskeyuna located near Albany


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