The Shakers in Eighteenth-Century Newspapers, Part Three: “Calvin” versus “A Lover of Truth,” Abusing Caleb Rathbun, the Death of Joseph Meacham and the Tale of His Sister

Authors

Christian Goodwillie, Hamilton College

Abstract

Accounts of the Shakers in eighteenth-century American newspapers help to shed light on the murky early history of the sect in the United States. They range from openly hostile to mildly sympathetic, and often provide details about the Shakers and Shaker life that are not found in the sect’s relatively meager eighteenth-century manuscript record. This article, the third and final in a series, will examine newspaper items relevant to the Shakers in the extraordinarily busy news years of 1796 and 1797.

Date

January 2012

Volume

6

Number

1

First Page

39

Last Page

63

Journal Title

American Communal Societies Quarterly

ISSN

1939-473X