Don Wildman

It is a huge fundamental fact of American history.

It's just extraordinary that all this is brought on by a woman at that time, because it would be that much harder for a woman to have stood up and said these things.

Never mind a woman from a working class background.

who doesn't have a formal education.

Yet within decades, a few decades, thousands of people will be following this spiritual tradition, isn't it?

It's amazingly persuasive for so many.

Why so?

Why do you think?

I think we just buried the headline, shaking off your sin.

That's basically what that name comes from.

I suppose the Quakers were quaking off their sin, you know, in a sense that's similar.

You know, I was born into Quakerism, I say many times in this show and still practice and, and, uh,

So much of this early phase of Shakerism parallels that of Quakerism.

They split, of course.

I mean, they're far apart coming into the 19th century as Quakers decide to join the world.

I mean, that's basically what happens with Quakerism, whereas Shakerism won't, and that's what's so key.

I want to circle back to a few details.

The practice of Shakerism, we've talked about the dancing now, but was it basically a sermon, a minister of some sort sermonizing and a congregation listening?

And these communities that started, at what point were they established that people would know to go there to see these kinds of spectacles?

Doug, a lot of people confuse Shakers with Amish.