How a Manchester textile worker became the female embodiment of God in America

Cultures · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Ann Lee, an illiterate factory worker from England, founded the Shakers after a series of traumatic personal losses led her to reject marriage and sexuality. She eventually crossed the Atlantic to establish a celibate, communal society that viewed her as the female incarnation of Christ and a revolutionary religious leader.

Born in Manchester in 1736, Ann Lee grew up in poverty and worked in cotton mills and infirmaries. Her path to religious leadership was forged through personal tragedy; after being forced into marriage, she suffered the deaths of all four of her children during infancy. These experiences, combined with her deep discomfort regarding sexuality, led her to conclude that sexual relations were the root of all human sin. In 1758, she joined a sect known as the Shaking Quakers, where she eventually proclaimed herself to be the female aspect of God and the second appearance of Christ.

In 1774, Lee emigrated to New York with eight followers, seeking to escape the persecution and imprisonment she faced in England for her unconventional preaching and ecstatic worship. Settling in Niskayuna, she and her followers established a community defined by radical egalitarianism, pacifism, and strict celibacy. By living in dormitory-style housing and holding all property in common, the Shakers sought to create a utopian society that mirrored the millennial reign of saints. Lee’s influence extended far beyond her theology; she encouraged her followers to pursue perfection in every facet of life, including industry and craft.

The Shaker movement eventually grew to include 19 official communities across the Northeast and beyond, reaching roughly 6,000 members before the Civil War. While the sect is remembered today for its functional furniture and innovative inventions—such as the clothespin and the circular saw—its core was a belief in the dual nature of God. Lee’s leadership challenged the gender norms of her era, and her legacy persisted through the work of successors like Lucy Wright, who helped formalize the Shaker social structure. Though the communities dwindled in the 20th century, Lee remains a singular figure in American religious history.

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