The Shakers and Shaker Heights

The Shakers were given their name because they were the “Shaking Quakers” because of their dancing. This differentiated them from the Amish and the Zoar who do not dance and made them stand out. Besides dancing, the Shakers are known for being very inclusive and allowing anybody to come and join their lifestyle as long as they follow the rules. After the Shakers ended, the neighborhood called Shaker was built on the land they used to live on. This part of town was meant to attract people who worked in downtown Cleveland because they would be able to use the RTA to get to and from work. It is ironic what Shaker is that it has the opposite beliefs as the Shakers did.

The Shakers were very inclusive, but Shaker was the opposite. If you were someone that is black or Jewish or different than a white Christian, you would not be allowed to live there. Although nothing was written down, once someone was selling their home they could only allow someone who was like them to buy it. Shaker is an intentionally planned community, but its ideals are completely different than those of the Shakers that used to live there.