MWF+11.15+-+Roberty+Owen.Harmony+Soc.

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Timeline
-May 14, 1771 – Robert Owen was born in Newtown, Wales -1813-1814 – published "A New View of Society" -1821 – published "Report to the County of Lanark" -1825 – bought New Harmony, Indiana for American community experiment -1828 – returned to Britain after community failed -1832-1834 – ‘The Crisis’ – Owenite journal -1834 – formed Owenites, Socialist society -1834-1846 – ‘The New Moral World’ – Owenite weekly -1839 – Owenites establish Queenwood Community, Stockbridge, and Hants -1845 – community fails and Owen continues the mission on his own -1857 – ‘The Life of Robert Owen’ published -November 17, 1858 – Owen died in Newtown, where he was born

[[image:Robert_Owen.jpg width="318" height="278" align="left" caption="Robert Owen"]]Overview
Robert Owen, the "father of English Socialism," believed that man could live a happier and fuller life through labor, which he saw as the origin of wealth. Owen did not think much of class struggle and saw it as being caused by ignorance. However, he played a big role in the development of the working class in Britain. Owen believed that the growth of machine production and industry was necessary, but not evil as many people thought it to be. He saw man as being in charge of everything and the master of all things, but also as the product of his environment. This concept led the population of his followers to question how it was possible to transform their circumstances if they were just a product of their environment. To this question, Owen replied that he alone had been shown the truth and that if they would listen, they would be set free to understand. Owen focused on a self-help ethic, in which man must first change his attitude if he ever wants to succeed in life. He did not believe in God, or any type of religion for that matter. With these ideas in mind, Owen tried to found a new community in Indiana. The New Harmony Society was based mainly on abstract reasoning. Since there was no concrete foundation on which to build and run the new society, after three years it fell apart. When this happened, Owen did not give up, but still tried to pursue his mission and dream by himself in Britain.

"Any general character, from the best to the worst, from the most ignorant to the most enlightened, even to the world at large, by the application of proper means; which means are to great extent at the command and under the controul of those who have influence in the affairs of men."



Breakdown

 * Social** **~** Robert Owen had a very interesting view on how society should be run. He thought it was very important to eliminate poverty from the U.S., and so his plan was to cater to the poor through his idea of utopian soceities. His idea of having about 1,200 people living on 1,200 acres of land. The design planned for people to farm and manufacture cooperatively, and therefore they would be able to pay for the use of the land. Owen knew that the initial cost would be great; but, he thought it was the smartest plan for the future. As Rowland Hill Harvey states in his book about Robert Owen, "He looked upon poverty as the result of an irrational social order to be entirely eliminated by the application of his well-known remedies" (Harvey, 162).

**Religious** **~** Interestingly enough, the New Harmony Society was one of the only utopian societies //not// centered around religion. Whereas other utopias formed to unite towards becoming better Christians, Owen did not believe in God and also denied the existence of any Creator. Owen was so firm in his beliefs he held a debate that began on April 13, 1829 against well-known Christians (such as Reverend Timothy Flint) to argue the most basic elements of Christianity. One thousand people showed up to the debate in First Presbyterian Church in Cincinatti! In the debate, Owen stated his views. Owen's views were essentially that "Man is entirely a creature of his environment. Everything he is and everything he believes is the result of the "circumstances" he is place in. Free will is an illusion" (Harvey, 156). Ultimately, Owen's lack of religious belief did not unite the New Harmony Society around any particular purpose or covenant - leading to its ultimate failure.


 * Political** **~** Owen believed that people were shaped entirely by their environments, and thus, political leaders must provide them with the correct environment that fosters success. For example, in his book "A New View of Society", he states, "Any general charcter, from the best to the worst, from the most ignorant to the most enlightened, may be given to any community, even to the world at large, by the application of proper means; which means are to a great extent at the command and controul of those who have influence in the affairs of men" (Owen, 19). Owen believes that positively influential leaders are key to the success of any society and that change develops from "the want of a correct knowledge of human nature in those who govern and countrol the affairs of men" (Owen, 18).


 * Economic** **~** In his socialist society, Owen did not value money, gold, silver, or any other artificial mediums of exchange. Rather, he valued "labor for equal labor" and used "labor notes" (see below picture) as a medium of exchange. As an average, about five shillings (today, about a dollar and a quarter) is approximately the value of a ten hour work day. He motivated workers to use this system by allowing the labor notes to be worth certain commodities in the community. Thus, the more one worked, the more commodities they were able to receive.

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**Poll **

 * 1. Do you know what a utopian society is? ||
 * [[image:http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=p&chs=345x150&chco=0000e0&chl=YES%20%5B30%5D%7CNO%20%5B0%5D&chd=e%3A..AA width="345" height="150"]] ||  ||


 * 2. Have you heard of the New Harmony Society? ||
 * [[image:http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=p&chs=345x150&chco=ff9900&chl=YES%20%5B7%5D%7CNO%20%5B23%5D&chd=e%3AO7xD width="345" height="150"]] ||  ||


 * 3. Do you believe any utopian societies existed in the United States? ||
 * [[image:http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=p&chs=345x150&chco=d00000&chl=YES%20%5B8%5D%7CNO%20%5B22%5D&chd=e%3AREu7 width="345" height="150"]] ||  ||


 * 4. Do you know who Robert Owen is? ||
 * [[image:http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=p&chs=345x150&chco=dcca02&chl=YES%20%5B11%5D%7CNO%20%5B19%5D&chd=e%3AXdoh width="345" height="150"]] ||  ||


 * 5. Would you like to live in a utopian society? ||
 * [[image:http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=p&chs=345x150&chco=00d000&chl=YES%20%5B5%5D%7CNO%20%5B25%5D&chd=e%3AKq1U width="345" height="150"]] ||  ||


 * 6. Do you believe utopian societies are important to history? ||
 * [[image:http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=p&chs=345x150&chco=9601ac&chl=YES%20%5B19%5D%7CNO%20%5B11%5D&chd=e%3AohXd width="345" height="150"]] ||  ||

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Analysis
In the early 1800s, the New Harmony Society was one of many utopian communities. Even though it ultimately failed within a period of three years, the long-lasting effects are still significant today. The following video, [], shows the impacts of Robert Owen's actions in the U.S. today. For example, New Harmony was active in the battle for women's rights and was also the site of America's first kindergarten. Besides just providing for the poor and improving America's economy, Owen was also passionate about education and the fact that one's environment guided their overall development. The significance of this can be seen is his approaches to education (kindergarten and starting children in school early), which are still influential today.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">** <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">* Sources ** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">**-Important Dates**: <span style="font-family: Helvetica,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Lockwood, George B. //__The New Harmony Movement__//__.__ New York: D. Appleton And Company, 1905.
 * -Overview**: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Morton<span style="font-family: Helvetica,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">, <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Arthur. //__The Life and Ideas of Robert Owen__//. New York: Monthly Review, 1963.
 * -Breakdown ~ Social, Religious, and Economic:** Harvey, Rowland. //Robert Owen: Social Idealist//. Berkeley and Los Angeles: Univeristy of California Press, 1949.
 * -** **Breakdown ~ Political:** Owen, Robert . //A New View of Society//. Oxford and New York: Woodstock Books, 1991.
 * -Pictures**:<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Lockwood, George B.. //__The New Harmony Movement__//__.__ New York: D. Appleton And Company, 1905.