From the seventeeth to the twentieth century America has been both a haven for utopian dreamers and a fertile ground for experiments in community. In All Things New, Robert S. Fogarty provides the first comprehensive study of a neglected chapter in the history of American utopian and communal experiments. Countering the view that utopianism declined dramatically after the 1840s, Fogarty uncovers a wealth of utopian experiments across the United States from 1860 to 1914. He examines 125 communities and their leaders, ranging from the secular and entrepreneurial to the mystical and charismatic. These engrossing tales of communes gain both authority and vitality from exhaustive research in primary sources, including newspapers, journals, and letters, and from the inclusion of historic photographs of colonists and prophets. Fogarty's arguments reflect recurrent cultural forces in American history, as he defines new territory in the history of utopian and communal movements.

All Things New: American Communes and Utopian Movements, 1860-1914

History

Fogarty, Robert S.

Americas

University of Chicago Press

Dictionary of American Communal and Utopian History

Greenwood

Product information not available.

In this first in depth study of the House of David, Fogarty places the sect in the Anglo-Israelite millennial traditions that goes back to seventeenth-century sects in England, Australia, and America. Their reading of the Book of Revelations promised the saving of a "righteous remnant" of humanity who would gather in one place to await the millennium. Itinerant evangelist Benjamin Purnell became the seventh prophet in the line of this tradition and, with his wife Mary, established a community for the elect in the port city of Benton Harbor -- the House of David. It was a celibate, communal society, ruled by the inspiration of the Purnells and attracting members who exchanged their worldly goods for the security of salvation. At its height he community had over 700 members and prospered by running farms, a canning company, an amusement park, and popular touring bands and baseball teams. But there were defectors, and from them came rumors of oppressive conditions within the closed society, sexual misconduct on the part of the Prophet himself, group marriages, and financial malpractice. Finally in 1923 a series of allegations and civil suits drove Purnell into hiding and the State of Michigan into action against the colony. By examining its religious roots, the staunch testimony of its members in the face of demonstrated charges, the social relations within the colony, we can begin to understand the attraction such "social contracts" can exert. The House of David is now a remnant itself, but other sects exist and continue to bind members to them in the same ways.

The righteous remnant: The House of David

Kent State University Press

Many Americans associate the House of David with its bearded barnstorming baseball teams of the 1920s and ’30s. Others may recall the sex scandal associated with the group, a scandal that gave newspapers during the first years after World War I some added spice. Still, others may know it as a religious communal society founded in 1903, which has a few adherents today. What is this strange group and how can these diverse images be reconciled? In the first in-depth study of the House of David, originally published in 1981, Robert S. Fogarty places the sect in the Anglo-Israelite millennial tradition that goes back to seventeenth-century England, which produced prophets like the mystic Joanna Southcott and from which arose sects in England, Australia, and the United States. Their reading of the Book of Revelation promised the saving of a “righteous remnant” of humanity who would gather in one place to await the millennium. Evangelist Benjamin Purnell became the seventh prophet in the line of this tradition and, with his bigamous wife, Mary, established a community for its followers in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The House of David was a celibate communal society controlled by the Purnells, and it attracted members who exchanged their worldly goods for the security of salvation. At its height, the community had more than 700 members and prospered by running farms, a canning company, and an amusement park and hosting popular touring bands and the traveling baseball teams. But there were defectors, and from them emerged rumors of oppressive conditions, sexual misconduct on the part of the prophet himself, hastily arranged group marriages, and financial wrongdoing that led to a series of civil suits. The allegations drove Purnell into hiding, and the State of Michigan launched an elaborate trial against the colony. The Righteous Remnant is more than the story of the rise and fall of a religious community. By examining its religious roots, the staunch testimony of its members in the face of demonstrated charges, and the social relations within the colony itself, we can begin to understand the attraction that such “social contracts” can exert. The House of David is now a remnant itself, but other religious groups continue to grow and bind members to them in the same ways.

The Righteous Remnant: The House of David

Religion & Spirituality

The Kent State University Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Fogarty, Robert S.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Fogarty, Robert S.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Fogarty, Robert S.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

All Things New: American Communes and Utopian Movements, 1860-1914

Dictionary of American Communal and Utopian History

Dictionary of American Communal and Utopian History

The righteous remnant: The House of David

The Righteous Remnant: The House of David