A Long History
Rise of Spiritualism
Industrial Revolution
Industrialism and Ghosts
Post-bellum America
Supernatural and Hope
Supernatural Restores Faith
Ghosts Build Communities
Comfort to Bereaved
Why the Supernatural was Entertaining
Transcending the Real
Ghosts and Mystery
Ghosts and Thrills
Entertainers Cash In
Laughing at Ghosts
Anthony Hopper
Why Were Americans Interested in the Supernatural?
Using Ghosts to Build Communities
Some Americans were interested in the supernatural world
because it helped bolster their faith against the twin "evils"
of materialism and scientism. 
However, many more people participated in events connected with the otherworldly
because these actions helped them to cope with the dehumanizing effects
of industrialization. Millions of blue-collar workers living in the United
States between the Civil War and World War I worked in low paying factory
jobs which in the words of one contemporary “’...degrad[ed]
men into the position of mere feeders of machines’” (1).
The large numbers of immigrants coming into the country during this period
had to deal with being “...uprooted...from the traditional patterns
of culture in their homelands and thrown into contact with people of widely
differing cultures who were also cut off from their traditional roots”
(2). Almost everyone had
to contend with a society that became ever more complex and lonely in
the years following the War Between the States (3).
American culture attempted to provide various remedies to this malaise.
Labor unions grew in number during the period. They “...fostered
a sense of mutual responsibility...” in contrast to the “impersonal”
workplace (4). Fraternal
organizations provided another outlet for fellowship, which partly accounted
for their phenomenal growth after 1865 (5).
Victorian Americans’ need for these types of bonding experiences
helped sustain their interest in the supernatural realm. For instance,
séances offered individuals a chance to gather together with others
of similar mind.
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