Radical Spirits: Spiritualism and Women's Rights in Nineteenth-Century America, Second Edition

**"Braude has discovered a crucial link between the early feminists and the spiritualists who so captured the American imagination." —__Los Angeles Times__**In , Ann Braude contends that the early women's rights movement and Spiritualism went hand in hand. Her book makes a convincing argument for the importance of religion in the study of American women's history.In this new edition, Braude discusses the impact of the book on the scholarship of the last decade and assesses the place of religion in interpretations of women's history in general and the women's rights movement in particular. A review of current scholarship and suggestions for further reading make it even more useful for contemporary teachers and students.**"It would be hard to imagine a book that more insightfully combined gender, social, and religious history together more perfectly than __Radical Spirits__. Braude still speaks powerfully to unique issues of women's creativity—spiritual as well as political—in a superb account of the controversial nineteenth-century Spiritualist movement." —Jon Butler, Howard R. Lamar Professor Emeritus of American Studies, History, and Religious Studies at Yale University****"Continually rewarding." —__The New York Times Book Review__****"A fascinating, well-researched, and scholarly work on a peripheral aspect of the rise of the American feminist movement." —__Library Journal__****"A vitally important book . . . [that] has . . . influenced a generation of young scholars." —Marie Griffith, associate director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Princeton University****"An insightful book and a delightful read." —__Journal of American History__** "Braude has discovered a crucial link between the early feminists and the spiritualists who so captured the American imagination." — Los Angeles Times In Radical Spirits , Ann Braude contends that the early women's rights movement and Spiritualism went hand in hand. Her book makes a convincing argument for the importance of religion in the study of American women's history. In this new edition, Braude discusses the impact of the book on the scholarship of the last decade and assesses the place of religion in interpretations of women's history in general and the women's rights movement in particular. A review of current scholarship and suggestions for further reading make it even more useful for contemporary teachers and students. "It would be hard to imagine a book that more insightfully combined gender, social, and religious history together more perfectly than Radical Spirits . Braude still speaks powerfully to unique issues of women's creativity—spiritual as well as political—in a superb account of the controversial nineteenth-century Spiritualist movement." —Jon Butler, Howard R. Lamar Professor Emeritus of American Studies, History, and Religious Studies at Yale University "Continually rewarding." — The New York Times Book Review "A fascinating, well-researched, and scholarly work on a peripheral aspect of the rise of the American feminist movement." — Library Journal "A vitally important book . . . [that] has . . . influenced a generation of young scholars." —Marie Griffith, associate director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Princeton University "An insightful book and a delightful read." — Journal of American History

"... Ann Braude still speaks powerfully to unique issues of women's creativity-spiritual as well as political-in a superb account of the controversial nineteenth-century Spiritualist movement." — Jon Butler

"Radical Spirits is a vitally important book... [that] has... influenced a generation of young scholars." — Marie Griffith

In Radical Spirits, Ann Braude contends that the early women's rights movement and Spiritualism went hand in hand. Her book makes a convincing argument for the importance of religion in the study of American women's history.

In this new edition, Braude discusses the impact of the book on the scholarship of the last decade and assesses the place of religion in interpretations of women's history in general and the women's rights movement in particular. A review of current scholarship and suggestions for further reading make it even more useful for contemporary teachers and students.

Publishers Weekly

According to Braude, many 19th-century women allayed fears of death through spiritualist beliefs; the comfort that spiritualism brought increased their confidence, allowing them to support women's rights and advance an array of causes from the abolition of slavery to women's suffrage and marriage reform. no pw review (May)

". . . Ann Braude still speaks powerfully to unique issues of women's creativity-spiritual as well as political-in a superb account of the controversial nineteenth-century Spiritualist movement." —Jon Butler

"Radical Spirits is a vitally important book . . . [that] has . . . influenced a generation of young scholars." —Marie Griffith

In Radical Spirits, Ann Braude contends that the early women's rights movement and Spiritualism went hand in hand. Her book makes a convincing argument for the importance of religion in the study of American women's history.

In this new edition, Braude discusses the impact of the book on the scholarship of the last decade and assesses the place of religion in interpretations of women's history in general and the women's rights movement in particular. A review of current scholarship and suggestions for further reading make it even more useful for contemporary teachers and students.

". . . Ann Braude still speaks powerfully to unique issues of women's creativity-spiritual as well as political-in a superb account of the controversial nineteenth-century Spiritualist movement." Jon Butler "Radical Spirits is a vitally important book . . . [that] has . . . influenced a generation of young scholars." Marie Griffith In Radical Spirits, Ann Braude contends that the early women's rights movement and Spiritualism went hand in hand. Her book makes a convincing argument for the importance of religion in the study of American women's history. In this new edition, Braude discusses the impact of the book on the scholarship of the last decade and assesses the place of religion in interpretations of women's history in general and the women's rights movement in particular. A review of current scholarship and suggestions for further reading make it even more useful for contemporary teachers and students. Introduction: My Sould's Thraldom And Its Deliverance -- Unbroken Communication Between The Infinite And All Beings -- The Blessedness Of Sinless Childhood In The World Beyond -- Thine For Agitation -- The Meaning Of Mediumship -- The Body And Soul Destroying Marriage Institution -- Mediums Versus Medical Men -- No Organization Can Hold Me -- Conclusion: The Same Hand That Guided Me Here Will Hold Me There. Ann Braude. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [239]-255) And Index. A comprehensive look at spiritualism in America, analyzing its origins, its belief structures, and its relationship to movements for social reform, including abolition, health and medical reform, and women's rights. In 1848, the dedicated Quaker abolitionists Amy and Isaac Post, like the other residents of Rochester, New York, heard rumors of mysterious noises in the village of Hydesville. An updated edition of a landmark book in the history of women's political activism and in the history of women and religion in America.