The Oneida Community: The Second Great Awakening

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The United States of America is a nation famous for, and irrevocably influenced by, its freedom of religion. Due to its religious tolerance, America became host to a number of attempts at religious utopia during the antebellum era. These utopian communities were widely varied in their own theologies and governing style, but they were usually Christian and often lived communally. They had different degrees of success in worldly matters, and most of these utopias have petered out and disappeared by now. The worldly affairs of these religious communities continue to influence America today, and they all stand strong as examples of the religious fervor the Second Great Awakening revived. The Shakers, or the United Society of Believers in Christ’s …show more content…
Founded and led by John Humphrey Noyes, the Oneida Community existed between the years of 1848 to 1880 in upstate New York. Eventually numbering 300, the Oneida Community was especially communal and rejected monogamy, opting instead for all men to be married to all women, and vice versa. Those living in the Oneida Community had numerous, continually changing sexual partners. Who slept with who was decided mostly by John Humphrey Noyes. In order to avoid unwanted pregnancies, the men of the Oneida Community practiced coitus reservatus, or male continence, which is intercourse without ejaculation. If two people began tending towards a more involved one-on-one relationship, they were criticized in public …show more content…
Like all other aspects of Oneida life, children were raised by the entire community, and were kept in separate quarters from their biological parents. Upon reaching puberty, the older members of the community also took it upon themselves to introduce the young ones to the “holy pleasures” of sex. The frustrations surrounding these practices, as well as the problems of complex marriage, are thought to have led to the community’s demise. The Oneida Community was somewhat successful economically, and they established a number of businesses during their three decade history. One of these businesses survives today as the world’s largest manufacturer of stainless steel knives, forks, and
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