Iowa Past to Present Teacher's Guide: Chapter 12: Experiments in Community Living

Iowa Past to Present

Introduction

During the 1800s most people came to Iowa with only their own families, but some came as part of a larger group. These people were called communitarians, from the word community. Members of communitarian groups shared beliefs about how they should live and what they should believe. They settled close together. In fact, members of some groups owned property together. Most communitarians believed that they should separate themselves from outsiders if they were to remain true to their beliefs. The groups that settled in Iowa were the Icarians, the Society of True Inspiration (the Amana Colonies), and the Old Order Amish. The Icarians disbanded in the 1890s, but the Inspirationists and the Amish still live in Iowa today.

Explore the resources on this page to find out more about ideas in the chapter:

  • Iowa Past to Present Teacher Guide: Chapter 12
  • Pathways: Find related articles and make connections with other ideas in Iowa history.
  • Artifacts: View related images, videos and more.
  • Side Trails: Explore more on this topic on other websites.

Suggested Classroom Resources and Lesson Plans

  • Iowa Pathways Quest and Challenges
    The Iowa Pathways Quest and Challenges are a collection of tasks that support students as they make and interpret connections among the people, places, events, and ideas of Iowa. Worksheets that model the thinking and research process are provided, as well as rubrics to aid you and your students.

Iowa Past to Present Chapter Listing

This online teachers guide was developed as a companion to the textbook Iowa Past to Present: The People and the Prairie (Revised 3rd Ed.); written by Dorothy Schwieder, Thomas Morain, and Lynn Nielsen; published by University of Iowa Press. Select a chapter from the list below to find related content and classroom resources.

Pathways

Choose a Pathway link above to find related articles and make connections with other ideas in Iowa history.

Media Artifacts

Find related images, videos and more in the Artifacts list above. The Side Trails listing below contains links to other websites related to the topic.

Web Sites