Increase Mather

The Influence of Cotton Mather “The Salem witchcraft trials,” a phrase not too often heard these days in everyday conversation. Witches burning at the stake, or drowning in a tub of water, and perhaps the most humane way of their execution, hanging. This piece of American history is a prudent example of how everyday people can, and were, be lead astray from what would normally be considered ridiculous and preposterous ideas, into something that warrants these horrible means of human demise

In the book Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer the town of Salem starting going into a panic of the theory of witches from the fits of two girls. Everyone accusing each other, family is accusing family. Brothers are accusing brothers. Accused witches are taken to trial, but are the trials that fair? The trials were unfair because of the use of spectral evidence, the inability to testify for oneself, and the surprisingly unbiased judges. Even though it was

Increase Mather enrolled at Harvard college in 1651 at the age of 12. He received his bachelor’s degree at the age of 17. According to accounts from the time, he was nearly dismissed from the college due to his attacks on Aristotelian logic, which then formed the basis for much of Harvard’s curriculum. Soon after his slightly contentious graduation at the age of 18, he gave his first sermon in a village near his home. He gave his second sermon soon after in his father’s church in Dorchester. During

values and possesses their beliefs towards a higher being. During the early Americas, various literature portrayed the reliance of God in their society. Based on the works of the Puritans by Anne Bradstreet, William Bradford, Jonathan Edward and Cotton Mather, many believed that God played a significant aspect of their daily lives. During the 1600’s, Puritans displayed their presumption towards God by portraying their willingness to sacrifice all. First of all, Puritans traveled from their home country

What exactly is leadership? Leadership is taking in to accountability your responsibility as a leader and knowing and doing what you need to do to guide people in the right direction. A quote that I thought would be good to share you all is quoted from a person named Vinci Lombardi. In his own words, “Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work.” From this quote, you figure out that leaders weren’t born as leaders; they worked hard to get to the

gallows or burn on the pyre. All measures necessary to rid the world of such evil would be implemented by the Puritan government and Increase Mather was just the man to ensure these methods were never applied. “He argued that it would be better that ten witches go free than the blood of a single innocent be shed” (Madden, Mathew.)

Cotton Mathers 1663-1728 Cotton Mather was remembered as one of the most influential Puritan ministers of his time. Mather set the moral tone in the colonies and led the charge for 2nd and 3rd generation Puritans to get back to the theological roots of Puritanism that were held by the earlier generation settlers. From an early age much was expected of Mather. He was the son of Increase Mather who had achieved much success as a minister and the President of Harvard. Although Mather didn’t follow

and author Cotton Mather was given the task of documenting a number of the trial proceedings. Mather was an esteemed adult in the Puritan community. Looking back at the accomplishments in his early life it is quite easy to see why he was held in such high regard. Cotton Mather was born February 12th, 1663 to a family of highly reputed New England Puritan priests (Walker). At only 12 years old, following in his father’s footsteps, Mather began his education at Harvard College. Mather faced many hardships

Conversely, Cotton Mather stood by the use spectral evidence even after his father had condemned it. In The Wonders of the Invisible World, Mather outlined his belief that the convictions in Salem were justified. In fact, it was the judges of the court of oyer and terminer who asked Mather to write a book to clear their name. Directly contradicting his father’s stance on the admission of spectral evidence, Cotton Mather stated that, “We are Humane Creatures, and we are safe while we say, they must

The short story, “Wonders of the Invisible World” by Cotton Mather, tells of how the devil is working around Boston. He tells this story from his own perspective in which he believes the devil is working in secret, and through the youth. One of the trials used as an example was Martha Carrier who was found guilty based on the information collected by Cotton Mather. Nathaniel Hawthorne, writer of the famous “Scarlet Letter”, writes a short story from the narrator’s perspective, and how he visits his