ON THIS EPISODE
On this edition of the Forgottonia Project, we’re sharing our 1st episode in a series on the social & cultural history of witchcraft in Illinois. Please note, this series definitely does not intend to endorse a belief in magic or the occult. Our primary purpose is to simply apply some historical skills to this topic and share some interesting info that we find along the way (skills like QUESTIONING, SOURCING, CORROBORATING, CONTEXTUALIZING, & forming ARGUMENTS, etc.). Throughout this series, we will investigate the social & cultural history of beliefs & practices that many might refer to as witchcraft.
OBJECTIVES
- What is WITCHCRAFT (how is it defined)?
- How do we know what we know about witchcraft in IL/Forgottonia? What sources are the most reliable?
SOURCES
- “Folk-lore from Adams County, IL” (1935) by Harry Middleton Hyatt
- “McDonough County Heritage” (1984) by John E. Hallwas
- “Witchcraft in Illinois: A Cultural History” (2017) by Michael Kleen
- “How historians and journalists used witchcraft to ridicule immigrants, African Americans, and poor rural whites” (2019) article also by Michael Kleen
Links to Other episodes of Witchcraft in Forgottonia
The Forgottonia Project 
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