Declaration of Independence, oil on canvas by John Trumbull, 1818; in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Washington, D.C.
When we imagine the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, we tend to picture powdered wigs, Enlightenment philosophy, and a room full of men discussing liberty and governance. What we don't often imagine is that many of those same men returned home to communities where people carried protective charms, interpreted dreams as omens, buried objects beneath their hearths for good fortune, and consulted the moon before planting their crops.
The truth is that the America of 1776 was not a world that had been fully "disenchanted."
While the intellectual elite were increasingly embracing reason and science, everyday life remained deeply intertwined with folk beliefs, spiritual practices, and traditions that modern people might recognize as forms of folk magick.
And no, this wasn't limited to the fringes of society. It was everywhere.
The Cunning Folk of Colonial America
Many of the European settlers who arrived in the American colonies brought with them centuries-old traditions of practical folk magick. In England, Scotland, and parts of Europe, these practitioners were often known as "cunning folk", ordinary people who specialized in healing, protection, divination, and the removal of curses.
A colonial family might seek out a local healer to:
- Cure an illness through prayer and herbal remedies
- Locate stolen property
- Protect livestock from misfortune
- Break a curse or ward off the evil eye
- Interpret dreams or strange events
These practices weren't necessarily considered "witchcraft." In fact, many practitioners viewed their work as deeply Christian.
Psalms, Prayer, and Protective Magick
One of the biggest misconceptions about folk magick in early America is that it existed separately from Christianity.
In reality, much of colonial folk magick was explicitly Christian.
People commonly used:
- Biblical verses as protective charms
- Psalms as healing incantations
- Written prayers carried in pockets or worn on the body
- Blessed objects for protection against illness and misfortune
A person might recite Psalm 91 to protect their household, place a Bible beneath a pillow during illness, or carry a handwritten prayer folded into a small packet. To them, this wasn't superstition, it was faith in action.
The line between religion and magick was often far more blurred than we tend to imagine today.
Witch Bottles, Charms, and Household Protection
Colonial Americans also practiced forms of protective folk magick that would feel surprisingly familiar to modern practitioners of folk spirituality.
People created "witch bottles" filled with nails, pins, hair, and bodily fluids to ward off harmful magick. Iron objects were placed near cradles and doorways for protection. Herbs were hung in homes to repel illness and evil influences.
Many families believed that:
- Dreams could predict future events
- Certain days were luckier than others
- The moon influenced planting, fertility, and health
- Unusual animal behavior could serve as an omen
These beliefs weren't viewed as irrational. They were simply part of understanding how the world worked.
German Powwow and the Magick of the Bible
In areas heavily settled by German immigrants, particularly Pennsylvania, another tradition flourished: a Christian folk healing practice known as Powwow, or Braucherei.
Practitioners used:
- Spoken blessings
- Biblical verses
- Ritual gestures
- Protective symbols
- Herbal remedies
Again, this wasn't considered witchcraft by those who practiced it. It was a sacred tradition of healing, protection, and spiritual intervention.
African and Indigenous Spiritual Traditions
At the same time, enslaved Africans and Indigenous peoples throughout North America maintained their own rich spiritual traditions.
African-derived practices included:
- Ancestor veneration
- Protective charms
- Rootwork
- Herbal medicine
- Spirit communication
Indigenous traditions involved:
- Ceremonial healing
- Plant medicine
- Divination
- Relationships with spirits and sacred landscapes
While colonial authorities often condemned these practices publicly, they also frequently adopted Indigenous medicinal knowledge and quietly participated in folk beliefs themselves.
So What Would an Ordinary Woman in 1776 Have Believed?
If you stepped into the home of an average woman living during the American Revolution, you might find her:
- Hanging rosemary or lavender in her kitchen
- Timing certain activities by the moon
- Speaking prayers over a sick child
- Keeping family herbal remedies passed down through generations
- Interpreting dreams and signs
- Carrying protective objects
- Saying blessings over bread, births, and burials
She probably wouldn't have called herself a witch.
She also likely wouldn't have separated religion, medicine, folklore, and spirituality into neat categories.
To her, the world was alive with meaning.
And perhaps that's the most important thing to remember when we think about the founding of America: the people who built this nation lived not only in the Age of Enlightenment, but also in a world still deeply enchanted.
Where reason and ritual, science and superstition, prayer and folk magick all existed side by side.
Learn more:
- Cunning-Folk: Popular Magic in English History - Owen Davies
- Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America - David Hackett Fischer
- Powwowing in Pennsylvania: Braucherei and the Ritual of Everyday Life - David Kriebel
- Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition - Yvonne Chireau
- The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present - Ronald Hutton