The nineteenth century was an era marked by rapid change in American society. This thesis examines the rise in utopian communities during this era and the specific societal conditions that led to their development. Three utopian communities are analyzed in detail: Brook Farm (1841-1847) founded by George Ripley in Massachusetts; Oneida (1848-1881) founded by John Humphrey Noyes in New York; and Fountaingrove (1876- 1900) founded by Thomas Lake Harris in California. These communities are discussed as examples of the confluence of religious changes wrought by the Second Great Awakening, the impact of industrialization including the Panic of 1837, and the growth of the women’s rights movement in nineteenth-century America.
","abstract_html":"<p>The nineteenth century was an era marked by rapid change in American society. This thesis examines the rise in utopian communities during this era and the specific societal conditions that led to their development. Three utopian communities are analyzed in detail: Brook Farm (1841-1847) founded by George Ripley in Massachusetts; Oneida (1848-1881) founded by John Humphrey Noyes in New York; and Fountaingrove (1876- 1900) founded by Thomas Lake Harris in California. These communities are discussed as examples of the confluence of religious changes wrought by the Second Great Awakening, the impact of industrialization including the Panic of 1837, and the growth of the women’s rights movement in nineteenth-century America.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Perle, Megan"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"Humanities","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Martin Anderson, JD, PhD","James Boitano, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2004,"date_issued":"2004-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2004-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:06:07Z","subjects":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/245","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Martin Anderson, JD, PhD","James Boitano, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Perle, Megan"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Humanities"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/245"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The nineteenth century was an era marked by rapid change in American society. This thesis examines the rise in utopian communities during this era and the specific societal conditions that led to their development. Three utopian communities are analyzed in detail: Brook Farm (1841-1847) founded by George Ripley in Massachusetts; Oneida (1848-1881) founded by John Humphrey Noyes in New York; and Fountaingrove (1876- 1900) founded by Thomas Lake Harris in California. These communities are discussed as examples of the confluence of religious changes wrought by the Second Great Awakening, the impact of industrialization including the Panic of 1837, and the growth of the women’s rights movement in nineteenth-century America.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["In Search of the Perfect Society: Three Utopian Communities in Nineteenth-Century Amererica"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Martin Anderson, JD, PhD","James Boitano, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Perle, Megan"],"dc:description.abstract":["The nineteenth century was an era marked by rapid change in American society. This thesis examines the rise in utopian communities during this era and the specific societal conditions that led to their development. Three utopian communities are analyzed in detail: Brook Farm (1841-1847) founded by George Ripley in Massachusetts; Oneida (1848-1881) founded by John Humphrey Noyes in New York; and Fountaingrove (1876- 1900) founded by Thomas Lake Harris in California. These communities are discussed as examples of the confluence of religious changes wrought by the Second Great Awakening, the impact of industrialization including the Panic of 1837, and the growth of the women’s rights movement in nineteenth-century America.
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