AN ACADEMIC LOOK AT WHAT LED TO ORGANISED SPIRITUALISM IN THE 1700s + 1800s

Séance led by John Beattie, Bristol, England, 1872 (from the Eugène Rochas Papers held at the American Philosophical Society Library)

Here we take a deep dive into the effects that social conditions (a substantial part of which were connected to religion, the Great Awakening and Enlightenment), had on the perspectives of the general population in the US and UK in the 1700s and 1800s. - Viewpoints which drove some people (particularly those in the US and UK), to look beyond the dogmas of the iron fist of governmental social injustices and the creed of mainstream churches. The latter of which were recognised for their favour to the upper social classes and their lack of sensitivity towards various causes including abolishing slavery, and the drive to empower native Indians' and women's rights. - All factors which ignited an interest towards practising a more inward Spiritual outlook (a phenomena which would be bolstered later down the line in 1848 by the birth of Modern Spiritualism in Hydesville New York.)

Social Conditions Between 1700 - 1740

"Eighteenth-century England presented a picture of substantial religious diversity" [1]. Of note: "the established churches brought a religious sanction to the existing social hierarchy and political order. They fostered learning and were patrons of the arts" [2]. 

Between 1700 and 1740, (over a hundred years prior to the 1848 events in Hydesville), around 80 percent of the American population regularly attended church. However, a phenomena known as the Great Awakening (which comprised several intervals in American Christian history), started to gain traction. This served to "made religion more personal by fostering a sense of spiritual conviction of personal sin and need for redemption, and by encouraging introspection and a commitment to personal morality" [3].

The First Great Awakening

At this time:

"There were significantly fewer church attendances throughout the country, many people were also bored and unsatisfied with the way the sermons were conducted, and they criticized the lack of enthusiasm from their preachers. [Moreover], Enlightenment was an intellectual movement that dominated much of the world and Europe in the 1700s. Originating from Renaissance humanism, it was a movement centred around the power of reason, the power of science, and it also made religion appear less important" [4].

The 1800s

"Sweeping changes transformed both the public social lives and private family lives of the British people. Increased literacy, combined with the Restoration, led the British people to an increasingly public life. There was a clear gap between the wealthy and the poor, which made itself visible in almost all aspects of life" [5].

During the 1830s, a class conflict across the UK provoked attacks on the established churches. From the perspective of a large number of labourers, the latter were no more than corrupt moneyed institutions which served to support the advantaged upper social classes and keep the commoners downtrodden. Indeed, such churches were seen by many as promoters of a hugely oppressive social order [2]. 

The US 1848 - 1865

The Fox Sisters 

On March 31st 1848, the birth of Modern Spiritualism took place in Hydesville, New York State. This came about when the members of the Fox family, experienced unexplained rapping noises that seemed to be emanating from the spirit of a murdered peddler, whose body was buried in the house. Indeed, two of the Fox Sisters (Kate and Margaret) had realised that they could communicate with his discarnate spirit via a series of knocks; so to that end, their discovery ignited a phenomenon that would revolutionise people's belief that after physical death, life continues on in another form [6].

The news of this revelation spread like wildfire across countless communities, and curious people travelled from far and wide to witness the abilities of the Fox sisters. The latter started to give public demonstrations in various venues in the US, and as their notoriety exploded, it magnetised the interest of both believers and sceptics alike. The Fox sisters were also responsible for the emergence of organised spirit communication across the US, the UK, and other parts of the world. And today, Spiritualism is classed as an officially recognised religion [6].

The Hicksite Quakers

In late Spring, 1848, two long-standing Hicksite Quaker friends of the Fox family, namely, Amy and Isaac Post of Rochester, New York, took the young mediums, Catherine and Margaret Fox into their home. Wholeheartedly believing that the sisters' communications with a discarnate spirit was genuine, the couple became early converts to Spiritualism, and as a result, presented the girls to their circle of Quaker friends [7]. Of note: Hicksite Quakers were a radical branch of Quakers who: "emphasised the Inward Light as the primary basis for religious faith and practice" [8].

The Hicksite Quakers bemoaned both creedal statements, and their current social conditions in which some individuals wielded immense wealth and power [8]. Moreover, they raised serious concerns about the more mainstream churches' lack of sensitivity towards abolishing slavery, and the need to empower women's rights [7]. Furthermore, there was a growing movement to ameliorate the living conditions of native Americans. All of these atrocities attracted a great deal of support from Spiritualists [9] who were invited to the Hickside Quaker circles.

A Surge in Spiritualism

In the 1840s, connections to reformation movements (many of which were fundamentally socialist), were starting to bubble up. In fact, Andrew Jackson Davis (also known as John the Baptist of Spiritualism, and the prime forerunner to Modern Spiritualism), is an excellent case in point. Moreover, as reformation for so desperately needed, in 1848, a large percentage of socialists became ardent occultists or spiritualists [10, 11].

Andrew Jackson Davis (August 11, 1826 – January 13, 1910) was a highly renowned American Spiritualist

Many families suffered during the American Civil War (1861 to 1865), and the social conditions in which people lived were turned upside down. Indeed, the horrendous number of deaths and battlefield casualties ignited a surge in Spiritualism [12].

"Spiritualism rose in 19th century America because the culture placed death in the periphery, leaving certain Americans unresolved and looking to the Victorian death culture. Furthermore... women were drawn to Spiritualism to soothe their grief from a lost loved one, whereas men sought to prove Spiritualism’s claims through a scientific method. Spiritualism was used for social and political reform from the scope of women’s rights... The majority of mediums, including the Fox sisters, were women. Because of their familial and society roles, women were able to communicate with the spirits in a far greater way than a man could. Unlike the majority of Christian denominations, spiritualism had the necessity of allowing women to practice some form of leadership" [13]

After the revelations of the Fox sisters in 1848, Spiritualism served as a upper and middle-class movement (which was especially favourable with women). Newly established Spiritualist mediums came to the fore, and many of them demonstrated their incredible God given gifts (including trance mediumship), in theatres, lecture halls, and summer camps in both the US and UK.

The Fox Sisters (Catherine, Margaret & Leah)

Middle-class parlours became hubs of entertainment and leisure. - These served as enthralling places where organised spirit communication and séances ignited people's Spiritual awareness, and gave many the peace of mind that the human soul is eternal [14, 15]. Indeed, statistics show that by 1897, Spiritualism had attracted eight million followers across Europe and the US, the majority of whom comprised the upper and middle classes [16]. Of note, the UK was the only country in which Spiritualism became as widespread as in the US [17].

A typical  séance  in the 1800s 

Summing Up

In summary, wide ranging social inequalities and injustices (including slavery, the treatment of native Indians, and the lack of women's rights); dissatisfaction with the dogmas and self-interest of the mainstream churches, and the horrors of the American Civil War, propelled a pursuit for blanket reformation and a more Spiritual way of being. The reality of this quest came into full fruition after the 1848 advent of modern Spiritualism in Hydesville, New York. - A phenomena that both ignited the emergence of organised Spirit communication across the US and Europe, and set the framework for Spiritualism to be the officially recognised religion it is today.

References

[1]. Harding, Alan (2004). "The Eighteenth‐Century Religious Background", The Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion: A Sect in Action in Eighteenth-Century England (Oxford, 2003; online edn, Oxford Academic, 7 Apr. 2003). https://academic.oup.com/book/10489/chapter-abstract/158377029?redirectedFrom=fu

[2]. Brown, S. J. "The National Churches and the Union in Nineteenth-Century Britain and Ireland." p. 57 - 78. Bonds of Union, edited by Isabelle Bour and Antoine Mioche, Presses Universitaires François-Rabelais, 2005. https://books.openedition.org/pufr/4041?lang=en their preachers.

[3]. History (2024). "Great Awakening." https://www.history.com/topics/european-history/great-awakening

[4]. World Atlas (2024). "What Were The Causes And Effects Of The Great Awakening?" https://www.worldatlas.com/what-were-the-causes-and-effects-of-thegreatawakening.html#:~:text=We%20have%20already%20mentioned%20the,of%20enthusiasm%20fro m

[5]. University of Delaware. British Literature Wiki (2024). "Social and Family Life in the Late 17th & Early 18th Centuries."https://www.worldatlas.com/what-were-the-causes-and-effects-of-the-great-awakening.html#:~:text=The%20First%20Great%20Awakening,-Enlightenment%20is%20considered&text=Originating%20from%20Renaissance%20humanism%2C%20it,less%20powerful%20for%20many%20people

[6]. Harris, D. (2014). "Hydesville Day: Celebrating the Fox Sisters and the Birth of Modern Spiritualism." Croydon Spiritualist Church. https://croydonspiritualistchurch.org.uk/hydesville-day-celebrating-the-fox-sisters-and-the-birth-of-modern-spiritualism/

[7]. Braude, A. (2001). Radical Spirits: Spiritualism and Women's Rights in Nineteenth-Century America (2nd ed.). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

[8]. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (2024). "Schism and Reform: Circa 1800-1900." https://www.pym.org/faith-and-practice/historical-background/3-schism-and-reform-circa-1800-1

[9]. Troy, Kathryn (2017). The Specter of the Indian: Race, Gender, and Ghosts in American Séances, 1848-1890. State University of New York Press.

[10]. Strube, J. (2016). "Socialist Religion and the Emergence of Occultism: A Genealogical Approach to Socialism and Secularization in 19th-Century France". Religion. 46 (3): 359–388.

[11]. United States Spiritist Federation (2024). "Andrew Jackson Davis."https://spiritist.us/andrew-jackson-davis/

[12]. Conan Doyle, A. (1926). The History of Spiritualism Vol I. 5

[13]. Bowlin, D. (2019). "The American Phantasmagoria: The Rise of Spiritualism in NineteenthCentury America." Eastern Michigan University. https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1008/

[14]. Stanley, J. P. (2016). " How Spiritualism Spread." Public Books. https://www.publicbooks.org/how-spiritualism-spread/

[15]. Carroll, B. E. (1997). Spiritualism in Antebellum America. Religion in North America. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

[16]. New York Times (1897). "Three Forms of Thought; M.M. Mangassarian Addresses the Society for Ethical Culture at Carnegie Music Hall." p. 200.

[17]. Britten, E. H. (1884). Nineteenth Century Miracles: Spirits and Their Work in Every Country of the Earth. New York: William Britten.