This book is about the emergence of Spiritualism in nineteenth-century America, especially the
relationship of Spiritualism to social reform.
In 1853, Henry Clarke Wright wrote the following in the Liberator, an abolitionist publication with a
strong pro-Spiritualist bias: “These spirits … are fast tipping, rapping, and writing, and talking old ideas
out of men’s heads and new ones into them. These spirits, be they good or evil, are casting the spirit of
war, slavery, drunkenness, sectarianism, patriotism and hosts of bad spirits out of men’s hearts.” In
addition to the causes of abolition, temperance, and the like, Spiritualists also numbered among those
advocating health and diet reform, dress reform, and women’s rights.
Your essay should begin with a short summary of the book, highlighting the author’s main arguments.
Then you should address the following guiding questions:
Why? Why did this religious belief encourage social reform?
Why does Braude describe Spiritualism as the first “women’s religion”?
In particular, Braude describes Spiritualism’s contribution to the struggle for women’s rights. In what
ways did Spiritualism expand the role of women in America?
Did you find the book convincing?
Your essay should be double-spaced, use standards fonts and margins, and be no longer than 4-5 pages
in length. You should cite material from the book to support your points. Your citations should be
inserted into the document in the form of footnotes, and you should follow Turabian (Chicago Manual
of Style) guidelines. If you quote the author, you should designate that by using quotation marks and a
footnote.This book is about the emergence of Spiritualism in nineteenth-century America, especially the
relationship of Spiritualism to social reform.