BackStory

American Spirit: A History of the Supernatural

"Houdini and the ghost of Abraham Lincoln," ca. 1920, Library of Congress

Halloween – despite its solemn Celtic roots – has become a safe way for Americans to transgress social norms and toy with the idea of ghosts in a family-friendly fashion. But for some, spirits from another plane have always been a very real part of life on this plane.

On this Halloween special, the History Guys explore Americans’ relationship with ghosts, spirits, and witches throughout our nation’s history. Why were colonists so fearful of New England “witches”? How is it that progressive social reformers found a home in the Spiritualist movement of the 19th century? Why do new media technologies always conjure talk of the undead? Can social upheaval help explain our history with the ineffable?

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Guests Include:

Web Exclusives

  • Listen to an extended version of Ed’s interview with spirit medium Cara Seekings.
  • Call of the Week: Dawn from Charlottesville asks about the history of Halloween mischief

Further Reading

  • A list of recommended readings from BackStory staff
  • Want to dig deeper into the history of the Supernatural? Check out this list of resources put together by the History Guys to learn more.

Even Further…

25 Responses

  • Excellent topic.

    Two questions I’d love to see you guys address:

    1: How did the Civil War shape the development of Spiritualism? Did the experience of mass death increase Americans’ desire to contact the dead, or sour us on the notion?

    2: How did new media impact Spiritualism? I’m thinking of electrical platforms, like telegraph, telephone, gramaphone. Cf Jeff Sconce’s _Haunted Media_.

    All best wishes -

    Quote
    Bryan Alexander
    7/15/2010 at 9:43 am

  • A few years ago I saw a photography exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC which was all about Spiritualism and photography. As a professional photographer I was stunned at the sheer amateurishness (to modern eyes) of the trick photography involved. It looked like things I might have tried in high school. And yet the signage accompanying the exhibit was strangely credulous.

    Quote
    Rick Lee
    7/15/2010 at 3:41 pm

  • I am very excited about this topic and connections and changing views thru the centuries. I do hope it will not all take a ‘debunking’ stance. While it is interesting to get rational explanations for certain phenomena relating to the brain or illusion or other reasons. There is still much unexplained.

    I consider myself rational and skeptical. I do not practice a formal religion. Experiences I had when I lived in an Intentional Community connected me with something beyond my senses and skepticism convinced me that we are surrounded by beings we do not see.

    Quote
    Elena Broslovsky
    7/16/2010 at 1:11 am

  • Has any president been influenced by supernatural beliefs in making important national decisions? I know that a recent one said he talked to God!

    Quote
    José F Pazos
    7/19/2010 at 9:31 am

  • I read about a poll that said that the percentage of Americans who believe in ghosts has increased in recent years – here’s a link to it below.

    http://www.pewforum.org/Other-Beliefs-and-Practices/Many-Americans-Mix-Multiple-Faiths.aspx

    I wonder how you might explain this phenomenon…

    Quote
    Jay Rogers
    7/20/2010 at 10:56 pm

  • A great topic! One thing I haven’t seen explored is the relationship between 19th century Spiritualism and today’ RSS of paranormal beliefs with the accompanying proliferation of weirdness in the popular culture (i.e paranormal programming on TV, radio, podcasts, and in the cinema). Look at the sheer number of “Paranormal Investigative Groups” that have popped up all over the country. One is forced to ask if we are seeing 19th century seances all dressed up in modern costume.
    And don’t forget how Spiritualism enabled women to speak publicly on controversial topics, possibly because it was (allegedly) men speaking through them!
    I have been exploring such topics in books and on public radio since 1992 and I lecture about Spiritualism through the VT Council on the Humanities, so I am eager to see this topic treated intelligently and with tongue out of cheek.

    Quote
    Joe Citro
    7/22/2010 at 3:02 pm

  • Interested to hear why spiritualism seemed to be so popular among disenfranchised groups (like slaves before the Civil War or women before the 19th amendment).

    Also think it would be interesting for you to touch on why spiritualism seemed to find a ‘bump’ in popularity after major military conflicts like the Civil War, World Wars I and II.

    Quote
    David Hogge
    7/22/2010 at 3:12 pm

  • Explore the origins of “Rapture” theology… And it’s role/influence in American everything.

    Quote
    mark j
    7/23/2010 at 10:24 am

  • More on Elena Broslovsky’s post. Is there any documentation about the government being influenced by belief in the supernatural, other than god?

    Quote
    Dennis D.
    7/26/2010 at 9:21 am

  • Opps! Ment to refer to José F Pazos’ comment. Is there any documentation about the government being influenced by belief in the supernatural, other than god?

    Quote
    Dennis D.
    7/26/2010 at 9:25 am

  • Love your blog.:) Keep up the good work.

    Quote
    Gerovital Romania
    8/14/2010 at 8:56 pm

  • As I study family history I’m amazed at how families coped with the frequency of death in the family from so many babies, children, and parents. With the advent of photography and postmordum photography images(souls/spirit) could be captured and held. So how did this change effect religious imagination/beliefs about life after death? Where did these families find comfort in experiencing so much loss?
    Don’t forget Van der Zee’s photographs on the subject of “ghost” images.
    Today when someone young dies a webpage is created and their friends talk to them there. Very interesting subject!

    Quote
    Peggy Hartzell
    9/6/2010 at 1:30 pm

  • I love this topic and I can’t wait to hear teh show! The thing that’s always intrigued me about spiritualism (at the beginning at least) is the role of gender– I remember reading somewhere that mediumship was one of the few careers open to women in the 19th century, and I’ve always wondered why, exactly, this was the case. Are women more susceptible to spirits (or, maybe just 19th century spirits?) And why do we still see women as mediums in the movies? I know men were involved, but the public face of spiritualism still seems to be a lady taking a fit.

    Quote
    Bec
    9/24/2010 at 4:14 pm

  • Did the \witches\ of Salem ever experiment with tarot cards or was this custom imported later?
    Thank you!

    heidi

    Quote
    Heidi Kellenberger
    12/13/2010 at 7:10 pm

  • Has any president been influenced by supernatural beliefs in making important national decisions? I know that a recent one said he talked to God!

    Yes, Abraham Lincoln. His wife Mary attended seances regulary in Georgetown at the home of the Lauries (he was in Postal Department). They convinced Lincoln to attend (remember they were mouring the death of the beloved son). It wasnt always easy for Lincoln to go to Georgetown so he held seances in the White House. The physical phenomena medium was the Laurie’s daughter; the prime message medium was Nettie Colburn Maynard. She offered much help to Lincoln. Infact the spirits told him to move forward and not hesitate on what he was contemplating…..it was the Emancipatiion Proclamation and he signed it shortly thereafter. If you are interested two good books are Was Abraham Lincoln a Spiritualist by Nettie Colburn Maynard and a more recent one is The Psychic Life of Abraham Lincon by Susan B. Martinez. Hope this is helpful to you. Blessings, M

    Quote
    Marilyn J. Awtry
    11/30/2011 at 9:02 pm

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

Leave a Reply