Summary Of Cotton Mather And The Salem Witch Trials

It is often difficult to understand the thought process that other people’s might have had many years ago. A college professor and writer, Richard Godbeer attempts to explain the thought process of the people who were involved in witch trials in the year 1692 in his text “How Could They Believe That?”. He often tells students in college and high school that we can relate to how society was in 1692 and how their views on life, and specifically the supernatural forces, are completely justifiable. In this article he explains the social atmosphere, the environment in which the settlers lived in, as well as how thorough the process of persecution was.

Witch trials were a big part of the United States’ history. During the witch trials violence was more abundant than usual. They really started getting “popular” in the late 1600’s. The violence of the trials impacted people’s lives so heavily back then. By looking at witch trials, we can see the vicious impact it had, which most readers don’t see; this is important because it shows that violence was and is always the answer. People were most commonly tortured by stoning, being burned alive, and by placing heavy rocks on top of one’s body until they died. Women and, sometimes, men went into hiding and feared for their children and their own lives. Puritans wanted to please God and they thought killing witches, who were thought to be satanic, would be a good deed. Cotton Mather was one of those Puritans. Violence was a public practice and people would often come out with their kids and watch the trials so everyone became desensitized, for a period of time, but it also struck fear into the people who were “not doing what they were supposed to do”, according to the Puritans, or who were mentally disabled.

The number of different interpretations of the Salem Witch Trials illustrates that historiography is ever changing. The historians, Hale, Starkey, Upham, Boyer and Nissenbaum, Caporal, Norton and Mattosian have all been fascinated by the trials in one way or another because they have all attempted to prove or disprove certain elements about the trials. By analysing their augments about the causes of the Salem Witch Crisis, it is evident that this historical event can be examined from a range of different perspectives and interpreted in a range of

The Salem Witch Trials was an uncanny and eerie event of hearings and prosecutions of people being accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. Although it lasted from 1691 to 1692, it lead to more than 200 people, including men and women, being accused and arrested of witchcraft and 20 of those people executed. The hysteria began with two young girls: Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams claiming to be possessed by the devil, causing the “witch-fever” among the Salem village. In this essay the circumstances behind poor harvest, sickness and the conjecture of witches and witchcraft being highly considered as a cause in this era will be described. The Salem Witch Trials were caused by environmental factors because the Salem community had limited understanding of natural causes such as poor harvest, sickness and diseases.

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 took place in the Puritan community of Salem, Massachusetts. Cotton Mather, a clergyman in Salem, emerged throughout the course of the trials as a pillar of support and, ultimately, as a witch-hunter. However, his motives at the beginning of the trials were driven by his Puritanical reasoning which holds a strong belief in Biblical Law. Cotton Mather used his Puritanical faith to find reasoning in God that allowed the Salem Witch Trials to occur.

The view that religious beliefs were behind the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 is predominantly incorrect. While the Puritan culture’s strong Christian beliefs did dictate the behaviour of New England society, for the authorities that instigated the Witch Trials, religion was a mere justification for their actions that allowed them to gain support by instilling in the masses the fear of a higher power. Their true motives lay in the political and social issues of the time, with Salem Town’s division due to two disputing families, the ever-present fear of smallpox, and the male population’s immense opposition to female independence and sexuality. Thus, while society had strong religious beliefs, they were merely a pretext for the political and social factors of family conflict, disease, and fear of women that were the true bases for the accusations dealt in 1692.

Many people are aware of the witch hunt that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts in the year 1692, however these same people may not be as familiar with the other witch hunt that also occurred in New England during the same year. Escaping Salem: the other witch hunt of 1692, written by Richard Godbeer, is a historical monograph that reconstructs the, mostly unheard-of witch hunt, that occurred in Stamford, Connecticut. The book also gives its readers insight into the minds of early American citizens. Thus, the theme of Escaping Salem, beside witchcraft, is human nature and Richard Godbeer’s thesis is that humans demonize others before recognizing their own share of human frailty. It is evident that he is biased toward the witches and sympathizes with them. This, of course, is not surprising since they were irrationally punished because of their neighbours unsubstantiated accusations. Richard Godbeer is currently a Professor of History at the University of Miami, who offers courses on a broad range of topics, including sex and gender in early America, witchcraft in colonial New England, religious culture in early America, and the American Revolution. He is also the author of 11 other historical monographs.

In Cotton Mather’s The Wonders of the Invisible World, he explores the evidence presented at the Salem witch trial of Martha Carrier. Mather explains the spectral evidence presented at the trial as strange phenomena worked by the devil, when in reality it is simply the exploitation and fear that brewed underneath the surface colonial America.

The myths surrounding the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 spike the interest of historians and non-academics alike. These trials have been the concern of different historical articles, novels, plays, films, and even religious debates. One issue that is certain, is the hysteria of the community overwhelmed Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 and 1693. A particular primary source, “Accounts of the Salem Witchcraft Trials (1693)” by Cotton Mather, suggests that the actions brought forth provided proof of satanic work. Even though Mather was a contemporary observer, Mather fails to analyze the importance of the real contemporary issues displayed during the time of the trials. Furthermore, historian Kyle Koehler, takes a different approach in his review,

Cotton Mather’s character was distinguished before the Puritans began their witch hunt. According to Brandt, Mather’s reputation has been “smeared for three hundred years by the abuse and harsh criticism” of those readers who perceive him as an instigator to the Salem Witch Trials (Brandt 232). Before the Salem Witch Trials, Cotton Mather had an interest for “all extraordinary things wherein the existence and agency of the invisible

“In three hundred years, we have not adequately penetrated nine months of Massachusetts history.If we knew more about Salem, we might attend to it less, a conundrum that touches on something of what propelled the witch panic in the first place” (5).

My friend Cotton Mather and two other judges came to my house, the day before my first case, to talk about the conflict with the Indians. Also, he talked about his new published book, Memorable Providences, in which he described the suspected witchcraft of an Irish woman in Boston (Linder). In his book, it is stated that the Goodwin children, who were afflicted by witchcraft, were of good character and “it was perfectly impossible for any dissimulation of theirs to produce what scores of spectators were amazed at (Rosenthal 2). Then Mather gave me a paper and said that it has the information that I would need for my case. I thanked him for that because he is an expert in the matter of witch craft. After they left my house, I went to my neighbor’s house to visit my ill friend and his family. He had two daughters and I feared that they would show the behavior of the afflicted children

Since he was born in a Puritan family, his inclination was towards religion. Although later he made some scientific contributions, he is also criticized for lending his supporting on “ Salem witch trials”. The trial resulted in the execution of innocent people and is considered to be the worst judgment by authorities to violate the human rights. Thus, “Salem witch trials” can be seen as an example of class warfare between authorities and suppressed groups. In his essay, “Christianized Negros”, Mather quotes “Black slaves, he says, can be converted from this deplorable state into “candidates of eternal blessedness.” If they are not converted, Mather warns, they will remain brutish “creatures” susceptible to the devil’s work”. Mather carried the Puritan’s belief in Christian ideology, which was a barrier for the equality at the time in Puritan society. Mather’s devout Christianity also signals an inherent bias, one that excludes other forms of worships and religious ideologies. This belief led some to think that, he was not a person who could support for equalness. Although, the era in which Mather and Jacobs lived had a huge gap, it was not different for the women during these times to come out front and live freely as their male

“Lies, self-righteousness, and gullibility can degrade a society” (Reynolds 53). Among the most blamed individuals during this time is Cotton Mather, author of The Wonders of the Invisible World, which is a detailed description of the accused witches of the Salem. There is evidence to believe that Hawthorne based much of “Young Goodman Brown” after the lives and writings of the Mather family. It seems that the Mathers, in their writings and sermons, caused an unwarranted worry of witchcraft among the Puritans. “The Salem witchcraft crisis was clearly inseparable from the figure of Cotton Mather in Hawthorne’s imagination” (Ronan 261). The workings of the Mather family, especially Cotton Mather, are categorized as simply lies given to the people of Salem; unfortunately, those individuals found truth in the words of the Mathers and believed in the witchcraft. This quickly formed gullibility can be shown through the opinions formed by Brown in the end.

During the year 1692, major historical events took place that later impacted the outlook of society. This timeframe is looked at as a period of bloodshed that caused people to have diverse opinions on what truly occurred during these murders. In the month of February alone, two tragic events took place as lives were taken in numerous amounts. Charlene McGowan’s article “The massacre of Glencoe 1692” examines the execution of 78 MacDonalds, who were killed by Campbell clan members for not pledging to King William of Orange. These events later influenced the feeling of paranoia and fear in Salem, which triggered witch trials to occur in early spring. It is believed that it all started when two young girls named Betty and Abigail in Salem Village, Massachusetts, were the first to be accused of witchcraft and being possessed by the devil. More than two hundred people were accused of practicing Devil’s magic, but only twenty were executed. The conspiracy theories among Salem witch trials have recently came to scholars’ attention on why the importance of it still interests people today. Additionally, it is essential to know how someone was accused of being a witch, the different theories, and how witchcraft came to an end.