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Believers in Dixie: A Cultural Geography of the Kentucky Shakers

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Date Issued:
2007
Summary:
The Kentucky Shakers were distinct from those of Ohio and the Northeastern United States because they were products of the cultural environment of the Upper South. The variation originated in the country's settlement and migration patterns. People with similar cultural backgrounds tended to concentrate and migrate together. As the western frontier expanded, settlers with more socio-cultural commonalities tended to migrate in similar patterns and maintain a sense of cultural cohesion in the newly opened westward frontier. We can observe the similarities between the Kentucky Shakers of the Pleasant Hill and South Union villages and their Southern neighbors by analyzing cultural commonalities. Examples of cultural indicators examined for evidence of regional variation include: folkways, organizational and leadership patterns, foodways and political environments. Material culture, including architecture, furniture, clothing and textiles are also considered in the regional comparison between Kentucky's Shakers and the remainder of the sect. The Kentucky Shakers were in a very unique environment, as no other Shaker settlements were situated in a slavery territory. Their geographical locale, in a strategically critical border area during the Civil War, caused the Kentucky communities to endure significant hardships not experienced by other villages during the War Between the States. In many ways the Shakers of Kentucky had more in common with their neighbors of the Upper South than they did with the other members of their sect in Ohio and the Northeastern states. These differences with the remainder of the sect caused considerable problems for the Kentucky Shakers. The cultural variations of the Kentuckians were also sources of rich uniqueness that made the Southern Shakers perhaps the most fascinating adherents to the religious movement.
Title: Believers in Dixie: A Cultural Geography of the Kentucky Shakers.
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Name(s): Rhorer, Marc A.
Brown, Susan Love, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2007
Date Issued: 2007
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 250 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The Kentucky Shakers were distinct from those of Ohio and the Northeastern United States because they were products of the cultural environment of the Upper South. The variation originated in the country's settlement and migration patterns. People with similar cultural backgrounds tended to concentrate and migrate together. As the western frontier expanded, settlers with more socio-cultural commonalities tended to migrate in similar patterns and maintain a sense of cultural cohesion in the newly opened westward frontier. We can observe the similarities between the Kentucky Shakers of the Pleasant Hill and South Union villages and their Southern neighbors by analyzing cultural commonalities. Examples of cultural indicators examined for evidence of regional variation include: folkways, organizational and leadership patterns, foodways and political environments. Material culture, including architecture, furniture, clothing and textiles are also considered in the regional comparison between Kentucky's Shakers and the remainder of the sect. The Kentucky Shakers were in a very unique environment, as no other Shaker settlements were situated in a slavery territory. Their geographical locale, in a strategically critical border area during the Civil War, caused the Kentucky communities to endure significant hardships not experienced by other villages during the War Between the States. In many ways the Shakers of Kentucky had more in common with their neighbors of the Upper South than they did with the other members of their sect in Ohio and the Northeastern states. These differences with the remainder of the sect caused considerable problems for the Kentucky Shakers. The cultural variations of the Kentuckians were also sources of rich uniqueness that made the Southern Shakers perhaps the most fascinating adherents to the religious movement.
Identifier: FA00000989 (IID)
Degree granted: Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2007.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Subject(s): Collective settlements--United States--Kentucky--South Union
Shakers--Kentucky--South Union--History
Christian sects--Kentucky--History--19th century
Human geography--Kentucky--South Union
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000989
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
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Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.