History of American SocialismsNoyes, John Humphrey
History
History of American Socialisms
Noyes, John Humphrey
Communism -- United States; Socialism -- United States
"The principal actors in this attempt, were Samuel Underhill, John
Norberry, Nathaniel Underhill, Wm. G. Macy, Jethro Macy and Jacob
Peterson. The objects were the same as at Haverstraw, but in trying to
carry them out they met with no better success. It appears that the
capital was small, and the estate, which was located seven miles back
from Coxsackie on the Hudson river, was very much in debt. From the
little information I am enabled to gather concerning this attempt, I
judge that they made many laws, that their laws were bad, and that
they had many persons engaged in talking and law-making, who did not
work at any useful employment. The consequences were, that after
struggling on for a little more than a year, this experiment came to
an end. One of my informants thus expresses himself about this
failure: 'There were few good men to steer things right. We wanted men
and women who would be willing to live in simple habitations, and on
plain and simple diet; who would be contented with plain and simple
clothing, and who would band together for each others' good. With such
we might have succeeded; but such attempts can not succeed without
such people.'
"In this little conflict there were many sacrifices; but those who
survived and were still imbued with the principles, emigrated to Ohio,
to fight again with the old system of things."
EPITAPH NO. VII. KENDAL COMMUNITY.
"This was an attempt to carry out the views of Mr. Owen. It was
located near Canton, Stark County, Ohio. The purchase of the property
was made in June 1826, by a body of freeholders, whose farms were
mortgaged for the first payment, and who, on account of the difficulty
of realizing cash for their estates, were under some embarrassment in
their operations, though the property was a great bargain."
Of this enterprise in its early stage the _Western Courier_ (Dec.,
1826,) thus speaks:
"The Kendal Community is rapidly on the increase; a number of
dwellings have been erected in addition to those previously built; yet
the increase of families has been such that there is much
inconvenience experienced for want of house-room. The members are now
employed in erecting a building 170 by 33 feet, which is intended to
be temporarily occupied as private dwellings, but ultimately as
work-shops. This and other improvements for the convenience of the
place, will soon be completed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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