Fortune Telling on Trial: Crime, Religion & Free Speech

Fortune telling was a crime. When Carrie was arrested in 1922 for reading fortunes, she fought back, arguing that her "spiritual" practice was protected by the First Amendment. The case raised big questions: Could spirituality count as religion? Could fortune telling be free speech? In this episode of Black Sheep Family History, Janet interviews Kathy Astrom who tells the fascinating story of Nancy Caroline ("Carrie") Humphrey Dunston Martin McMaster who first fought for her children, then fought for her belief, expression, and survival in an age when faith and fraud were often seen as the same thing.