History of American SocialismsNoyes, John Humphrey
History
History of American Socialisms
Noyes, John Humphrey
Communism -- United States; Socialism -- United States
Fourierism was introduced into this country by Albert Brisbane and
Horace Greeley in 1842, and then commenced another great national
movement similar to that of Owenism, but far more universal and
enthusiastic. We consider the year 1843 the focal period of this
social revival; and around that year or following it within the
forties, we find the main group of Macdonald's Associations.
Thirty-four of the list may clearly be referred to this epoch. Many,
and perhaps most of them, never undertook to carry into practice
Fourier's theories in full; and some of them would disclaim all
affiliation with Fourierism; but they all originated in a common
excitement, and that excitement took its rise from the publications of
Brisbane and Greeley.
Confining ourselves, for the present, to these two groups of
Associations, belonging respectively to the Owen movement of 1826 and
the Fourier movement of 1843, we will now give a brief statistical
account of each Association; i.e., all we can find in Macdonald's
collection, on the following points: 1, Locality; 2, Number of
members; 3, Amount of land; 4, Amount of debt; 5, Duration. We give
the amount of land instead of any other measurement of capital,
because all and more than all the capital of the Associations was
generally invested in land, and because it is difficult to
distinguish, in most cases, between the cash capital that was actually
paid in, and that which was only subscribed or talked about.
As to the reliability of these statistics, we can only say that we
have patiently picked them out, one by one, like scattered bones, from
Macdonald's heap. Though they may be faulty in some details, we are
confident that the general idea they give of the attempts and
experiences of American Socialists, will not be far from the truth.
_Experiments of the Owen Epoch._
Blue Spring Community; Indiana; no particulars, except that it lasted
"but a short time."
Co-operative Society; Pennsylvania; no particulars.
Coxsackie Community; New York; capital "small;" "very much in debt;"
duration between 1 and 2 years.
Forrestville Community; Indiana; "over 60 members;" 325 acres of land;
duration more than a year.
Franklin Community; New York; no particulars.
Haverstraw Community; New York; about 80 members; 120 acres; debt
$12,000; duration 5 months.
Kendal Community; Ohio; 200 members; 200 acres; duration about 2
years.
Macluria; Indiana; 1200 acres; duration about 2 years.
New Harmony; Indiana; 900 members; 30,000 acres, worth $150,000;
duration nearly 3 years.
Nashoba; Tennessee; 15 members; 2,000 acres; duration about 3 years.
Yellow Spring Community; Ohio; 75 to 100 families; duration 3 months.
_Experiments of the Fourier Epoch._
Alphadelphia Phalanx; Michigan; 400 or 500 members; 2814 acres;
duration 2 years and 9 months.
Brook Farm; Massachusetts; 115 members; 200 acres; duration 5 years.
Brooke's experiment; Ohio; few members; no further particulars.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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