Utopian Communities In America

Many people wonder what it would be like if everything ran flawlessly. Individuals take their societies, point out mistakes in their systems, and consider hypothetical situations where those errors do not exist. Some philosophers have written literature about these societies, or utopias. There have even been examples of attempts at utopian communities in America, driven by either religion or by individuals yearning for harmonious lives. Other official government systems have been invented to work towards utopia-like states. The desire for systematic improvement encourages individuals to continually attempt utopia, no matter how difficult or fleeting the societies are. Throughout history, people frequently examined their societies and wondered

Instead, individuals began to focus on perfecting society in an economic and political approach. One of the first communities that emerged from this secular belief system was New Harmony in Indiana, led by Robert Owen in 1825. The community lasted for a short two years before lack of funding brought about economic failure (“Experiments with Utopia”). However, in 1841, a more successful nonreligious community cropped up. Brook Farm, located near Roxbury, Massachusetts, was founded by people noted as Transcendentalists. This group believed in instinct and imagination, instead of intellect (“Utopian Movement”). In turn, the community’s practice of “plain living” attracted attention from all walks of life, such as farmers, scholars, carpenters, and shoemakers. All members were given shelter, food, wages, and infant and primary schooling. It appeared to be a prototypically ideal utopia. However, a fire that devastated important buildings in 1846 and economic troubles brought forth an end to Brook Farm the following year (“Utopias in America”). It seems that many of these early experimental communities were short-lived, no matter if their principles were religious or

Many utopian groups in America have been unsuccessful, but this does not stop people from continuing to try. Similarly, government systems like communism and socialism were created for improving society, though their connotations have been corrupted into negative concepts due to improper implementation. People wonder what it would be like if everything were perfect, and when they decide to attempt perfection, the results become destructive. Utopia has not been able to be achieved in the past due to the imperfect nature of