If the message is the medium then certainly the Fox Sisters are as American as it gets. It's a recognisable tale: A meteoric rise to fame. International celebrity. A falling out. A descent in to alcoholism, and poverty. And along the way they inspired a cultural movement. The influence of the Fox Sisters can still be seen today in the popularity of docutainment haunting shows and maybe even The Kardashians.
It's strange that they don't get mentioned more often. Especially when you consider the number of people who believe in ghosts.
Spiritualism and parlor séances became so popular that even when the Fox Sisters confessed that it was all a hoax they were ignored. Perhaps this is their revenge from beyond the grave.