Ann Lee Stanley

background: 

- I was born on February 29th, 1736 in Manchester, England

- I died on September 8th, 1784 in Watervliet, New York

- I had no formal education

- I was the founder (Mother Ann) of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing (the Shakers)

issues: 

- pacifism: I advocate complete neutrality during the American and British war, though would feel most comfortable in supporting the American side for their religious freedom
- celibacy: I strongly disagree with the institution of marriage and sex

- racial and gender equality: All men and women are equal regardless of race

solutions: 

- As part of the Shakers, my followers and I believe that I am the second coming of Christ in the female form as I embody the perfect, sinless, holy being in my complete dedication to equality and celibacy.

- We are called Shakers because I believe that shaking and trembling are signs that the Holy Spirit is purifying us by purging the body of sin and evil

- I believe the second coming of Christ is imminent and we must prepare by attacking sin at its roots in society boldly

- My visions and correspondences with God tell me that celibacy and confession are the only ways to true salvation in Christ. 

- "A complete cross against the lusts of generation, added to a full and explicit confession, before witnesses, of all the sins committed under its influence, was the only possible remedy and means of salvation." 

- The Church of England sought to arrest me multiple times, but I escaped persecution in England by coming to America in 1774, settling the Shakers into a strict communal life.

relationships to others: 

- My views on the Temperance movement, transcendentalism, and prison reform are limited due to my time period.

- I support abolition and women's rights.

~ Cando