Ann Lee

Ann Lee (February 29, 1736 – September 8, 1784), born Ann Lees, was an English-born religious leader who founded and led the Shakers, formally known as the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing. Born in Manchester, England, during the height of the Industrial Revolution, Lee experienced a spiritual awakening and joined the Wardley Society, an early Methodist group emphasizing emotional religious experience. She came to believe she was the female embodiment of Christ and the prophesied Second Coming. In 1774, Lee and a small group of followers emigrated to America to escape persecution, establishing the first Shaker community near Albany, New York. Under her leadership, the Shakers developed their distinctive theology, practices, and communal lifestyle, including celibacy, confession of sins, ecstatic worship, and innovative communal architecture and crafts. Lee established the foundational principles of Shaker life and spirituality that would guide the movement for centuries after her death. Though her life was relatively short, Lee's religious vision created one of America's most enduring utopian communities, known for their furniture design, music, and peaceful communal society. The Shaker movement, based on her teachings, remains significant in American religious and cultural history.