History of American Socialisms

The object of this book is to help the study of Socialism by the inductive method. It is, first and chiefly, a collection of facts; and the attempts at interpretation and generalization which are interspersed, are secondary and not intentionally dogmatic.

It is certainly high time that Socialists should begin to take lessons from experience; and for this purpose, that they should chasten their confidence in flattering theories, and turn their attention to actual events.

This country has been from the beginning, and especially for the last forty years, a laboratory in which Socialisms of all kinds have been experimenting. It may safely be assumed that Providence has presided over the operations, and has taken care to make them instructive. The disasters of Owenism and Fourierism have not been in vain; the successes of the Shakers and Rappites have not been set before us for nothing. We may hope to learn something from every experiment.

The author, having had unusual advantages for observing the Socialistic movements, and especial good fortune in obtaining collections of observations made by others, has deemed it his duty to devote a year to the preparation of this history.

As no other systematic account of American Socialisms exists, the facts here collected, aside from any interpretation of them, may be valuable to the student of history, and entertaining to the general reader.

The present issue may be considered a proof-sheet, as carefully corrected as it can be by individual, vigilance. It is hoped that it will call out from experts in Socialism and others, corrections and additions that will improve it for future editions.

Wallingford, Conn., December, 1869.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER PAGE

I. INTRODUCTION 1

II. BIRDS-EYE VIEW 10

III. THEORY OF NATIONAL EXPERIENCE 21

IV. NEW HARMONY 30

V. INQUEST ON NEW HARMONY 44

VI. YELLOW SPRINGS COMMUNITY 59

VII. NASHOBA 66

VIII. SEVEN EPITAPHS 73

IX. OWEN'S GENERAL CAREER 81

X. CONNECTING LINKS 93

XI. CHANNING'S BROOK FARM 102

XII. HOPEDALE 119

XIII. THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES 133

XIV. THE NORTHAMPTON ASSOCIATION 154

XV. THE SKANEATELES COMMUNITY 161

XVI. SOCIAL ARCHITECTS 181

XVII. FUNDAMENTALS OF SOCIALISM 193

XVIII. LITERATURE OF FOURIERISM 200

XIX. THE PERSONNEL OF FOURIERISM 211

XX. THE SYLVANIA ASSOCIATION 233

XXI. OTHER PENNSYLVANIA EXPERIMENTS 251

XXII. THE VOLCANIC DISTRICT 267

XXIII. THE CLARKSON PHALANX 278

XXIV. THE SODUS BAY PHALANX 286

XXV. OTHER NEW YORK EXPERIMENTS 296

XXVI. THE MARLBORO ASSOCIATION 309

XXVII. PRAIRIE HOME COMMUNITY 316

XXVIII. THE TRUMBULL PHALANX 328

XXIX. THE OHIO PHALANX 354

XXX. THE CLERMONT PHALANX 366

XXXI. THE INTEGRAL PHALANX 377

XXXII. THE ALPHADELPHIA PHALANX 388

XXXIII. LA GRANGE PHALANX 397

XXXIV. OTHER WESTERN EXPERIMENTS 404

XXXV. THE WISCONSIN PHALANX 411

XXXVI. THE NORTH AMERICAN PHALANX 449

XXXVII. LIFE AT THE NORTH AMERICAN 468

XXXVIII. END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN 487

XXXIX. CONVERSION OF BROOK FARM 512

XL. BROOK FARM AND FOURIERISM 529

XLI. BROOK FARM AND SWEDENBORGIANISM 537

XLII. THE END OF BROOK FARM 551

XLIII. THE SPIRITUALIST COMMUNITIES 564

XLIV. THE BROCTON COMMUNITY 577

XLV. THE SHAKERS 595

XLVI. THE ONEIDA COMMUNITY 614

XLVII. REVIEW AND RESULTS 646

XLVIII. TWO SCHOOLS OF SOCIALISM 658

AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY.

Many years ago, when a branch of the Oneida Community lived at Willow Place in Brooklyn, near New York, a sombre pilgrim called there one day, asking for rest and conversation. His business proved to be the collecting of memoirs of socialistic experiments. We treated him hospitably, and gave him the information he sought about our Community. He repeated his visit several times in the course of some following years, and finally seemed to take a very friendly interest in our experiment. Thus we became acquainted with him, and also in a measure with the work he had undertaken, which was nothing less than a history of all the Associations and Communities that have lived and died in this country, within the last thirty or forty years.