Research Grant Delves Into Lincoln and Voodoo
- edepstein1
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
By Jeffrey Boutwell
Washington D.C.
June 15, 2026
Christopher Newman, a PhD. candidate whose research is investigating Abraham Lincoln’s role in New Orleans voodoo culture, is the recipient of the Lincoln Group of D.C.’s two research fellowships at the Howard University History Department.
The Lincoln Group’s grants are intended to promote better understanding of the legacy and importance of Abraham Lincoln in American life.
Newman’s research looks at the role of New Orleans voodoo in America’s black community and how the myths and folklore surrounding Lincoln's life and death were used and abused to misconstrue and racialize African diasporic religions, as well as tarnish Lincoln's legacy.
In particular, the project will place the emergence of Lincoln-Voodoo folklore within the broader cultural context of Civil War–era spiritualism and national trauma. As Americans turned to séances and supernatural beliefs to process widespread death, figures like Mary Todd Lincoln helped normalize spiritualist practices, blurring the boundaries between grief, religion, and spectacle. This environment made it easier for myths to attach occult meanings to political events, including Lincoln’s assassination. Stories claiming that voodoo practitioners predicted or cursed Lincoln’s death—along with fabricated artifacts like the “Lincoln voodoo doll”—illustrate how racialized misconceptions transformed African diasporic traditions into symbols for explaining national crisis.
Newman’s research looks into how these narratives reveal how mythmaking and cultural distortion shaped public memory, reinforcing stereotypes while obscuring the authentic religious and cultural significance of voodoo in black communities.
In addition to working toward a PhD in history at Howard, Newman has a master’s in theological studies from Duke University. The two Lincoln Group fellowships he is receiving honor Edna Greene Medford, history professor emerita at Howard, and the Lincoln Group.
The two fellowships are $1,000 each.