Formally known as the “United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing,” the Shakers sect got its name from the involuntary trembling of its members during moments of religious ecstasy.
Founded in England by Mother Ann Lee, the Shakers came to America in 1774.
Lee’s followers practiced celibacy, communal ownership, and sacred dancing.
By the 1820s, there were more than a dozen communities, with 4,000 members. Few Shakers remain today.