This past fall, I took a course on Europe during the Enlightenment, and wrote a research paper on witchcraft in print culture during the latter half of the seventeenth century. This post is based on that paper as the print culture of witchcraft in England provides context for thoughts on witchcraft in 1692 Salem. Prior […]Read Post ›
Who said it? Guess the speaker of the following quotes to see how much we’ve progressed since the Salem Witch Trials. 1. “It’ll bring earthquakes, tornadoes, and possibly a meteor.” Is this quote from (A). A Puritan minister warning about the punishment of God for tolerating sinners in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (B). A televangelist […]Read Post ›
June 10, 1692: Bridget Bishop hanged in Salem after the Court of Oyer and Terminer found her guilty of witchcraft. She was the first of 19 people to hang during the 1692 hysteria. During her examination in April 1692, she insisted, “I am no witch.” One way to look at the experience of Bridget Bishop […]Read Post ›
In 1695, Thomas Maule, a Quaker, published Truth Held Forth and Maintained which defended Quaker religious practices, attacked Puritan practices, and criticized the Massachusetts Bay Colony for the legal methods taken during the Salem Witch Trials. Maule wrote, “their requital was by destroying the Lives of the Lord’s People, with whose innocent Blood, New-England remains […]Read Post ›
“I will say it, if it was my last time, I am clear of this sin.” -Mary Easty “Humbly craving continually your prayers and help in this distressed case, -so, praying Almighty God continually to prepare you, that you may be a terror to evil-doers.” -Thomas Putnam “The Devil has my consent, & goes & […]Read Post ›
“Sarah Good,” said John Hathorne in a commanding voice, “what evil spirit have you familiarity with?” “None,” she answered. But her answer didn’t matter, regardless of her words, the words of a few young screaming girls held more authority. On March 1, 1692, Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba stood accused of witchcraft. The first […]Read Post ›
The hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials doesn’t happen on its own. What precedent helped establish the ideas of a witch conspiracy in 1692? A case in 1688 provided a backdrop for Salem. A Boston woman hanged for the crime, but how does this appear in 1692? This narrative drawn from primary sources details the […]Read Post ›
I’ve started to add data to NodeXL to create a graph of the first 45 documents of the witch trials. This covers the accusations and examinations of Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, Tituba, Dorothy Good, Martha Corey, Rachel Clinton, and Rebecca Nurse. It also reaches the naming of Elizabeth Proctor and Sarah Cloyce. Within these 45 […]Read Post ›
I just want to leave a post about the research I’m working on right now. This current semester I am taking a course on Digital History and with the help of my professor Dr. Diane Cline, I am working on a social network analysis of the Salem Witch Trials. Social Network Analysis, SNA, looks at […]Read Post ›
“In the latter end of the year 1691, Mr. Samuel Parris, Pastor of the Church of Salem Village, had a Daughter of Nine, and a Niece of about Eleven years of Age, sadly Afflicted of they knew not what Distempers; and he made his application to Physicians, yet still they grew worse: And at length, […]Read Post ›
