Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Acknowledgements vii
3. Contents ix
4. Introduction 1
5. Chapter 1. Mapping American Conspiracism 32
6. Chapter 2. Salem, or: The Metaphysical Puritan Conspiracy Theory 68
7. Chapter 3. Subversion through Education: The Catholic Conspiracy Theory 113
8. Chapter 4. Abolitionists, “Black Republicans,” and the Slave Power: Antebellum Conspiracy Theories 167
9. Chapter 5. “Masters of Deceit”: Conspiracy Theory in the Great Red Scare of the 1950s 223
10. Conclusion: To the Margins (and Back Again?) 283
11. Works Cited 302