The Salem Witch Hunt
A Brief History with DocumentsSecond Edition| ©2018 Richard Godbeer
ISBN:9781319104887
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ISBN:9781319088132
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The Salem witch trials stand as one of the infamous moments in colonial American history. More than 150 people -- primarily women -- from 24 communities were charged with witchcraft; 19 were hanged and others died in prison. This second edition continues to explore the beliefs, fears, and historical context that fueled the witch panic of 1692. In his revised introduction, Richard Godbeer offers coverage of the convulsive ergotism thesis advanced in the 1970s and a discussion of new scholarship on men who were accused of witchcraft for explicitly gendered reasons. The documents in this volume illuminate how the Puritans worldview led them to seek a supernatural explanation for the problems vexing their community. Presented as case studies, the carefully chosen records from several specific trials offer a clear picture of the gender norms and social tensions that underlie the witchcraft accusations. New to this edition are records from the trial of Samuel Wardwell, a fortune-teller or "cunning man" whose apparent expertise made him vulnerable to suspicions of witchcraft. The book’s final documents cover recantations of confessions, the aftermath of the witch hunt, and statements of regret. A chronology of the witchcraft crisis, questions for consideration, and a selected bibliography round out the books pedagogical support.
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The Salem Witch Hunt
Second Edition| ©2018
Richard Godbeer
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The Salem Witch Hunt
Second Edition| 2018
Richard Godbeer
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface
A Note about the Documents
Part One: Introduction: Explaining the Salem Witch Hunt
Putting Salem into a Larger Context
Puritanism and the Supernatural World
Dangerous Women
Malevolent Neighbors
The Witch Panic of 1692
The Afflicted Girls
Trying a Witch
The Collapse of the Trials
Part Two: The Documents
1. Signs and Assaults from the Supernatural World
1. The Arrival of a Comet and the Death of a Star Preacher
2. Samuel Sewall Finds Reassurance in a Rainbow
3. The Death of Cotton Mather’s Infant Son
4. Strange Afflictions in the Goodwin Household
5. The Horseshoe Controversy in Newberry, Massachusetts
6. Mary Rowlandson’s Account of the Indian Attack on Lancaster
7. Cotton Mather on the Quaker Threat
8. The Dominion of New England
9. Cotton Mather on the Recent History of New England
2. Beginnings
10. John Hale’s Account, 1702
11. Deodat Lawson’s Account, 1692
12. Samuel Parris on the Outbreak of Witchcraft Accusations in Salem Village, March 27, 1692
13. Samuel Parris’s Statement to His Congregation about Mary Sibley’s Use of Countermagic, March 27, 1692
3. Witches on Trial
Sarah Good
14. Arrest Warrant for Sarah Good, February 29, 1692
15. Examination of Sarah Good (as Recorded by Ezekiel Cheever), March 1, 1692
16. Elizabeth Hubbard against Sarah Good, March 1, 1692
17. Ann Putnam Jr. against Sarah Good, March 1, 1692
18. William Allen, John Hughes, William Good, and Samuel Braybrook against Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, March 5, 1692
19. Abigail Williams against Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, May 23, 1692
20. Indictment against Sarah Good for Afflicting Sarah Bibber, June 28, 1692
21. Sarah Bibber against Sarah Good, June 28, 1692
22. Sarah Gadge and Thomas Gadge against Sarah Good, June 28, 1692
23. Joseph Herrick Sr. and Mary Herrick against Sarah Good, June 28, 1692
24. Samuel Abbey and Mary Abbey against Sarah Good, June 29, 1692
25. Henry Herrick and Jonathan Batchelor against Sarah Good, June 29, 1692
26. Samuel Sibley against Sarah Good, June 29, 1692
27. Death Warrant for Sarah Good, Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth How, and Sarah Wilds (June 12, 1692) and Officer’s Return (July 19, 1692)
Tituba
28. First Examination of Tituba (as Recorded by Jonathan Corwin), March 1, 1692
29. Second Examination of Tituba (as Recorded by Jonathan Corwin), March 2, 1692
30. Elizabeth Hubbard against Tituba, March 1, 1692
31. Ann Putnam Jr. against Tituba, March 1, 1692
32. Indictment against Tituba for Covenanting with the Devil, May 9, 1693
John Proctor
33. Elizabeth Booth against John Proctor, April 11, 1692
34. Abigail Williams against John Proctor, May 31, 1692
35. Physical Examination of John Proctor and John Willard, June 2, 1692
36. Mary Warren against John Proctor, June 30, 1692
37. Petition of John Proctor, July 23, 1692
38. Samuel Sibley against John Proctor, August 5, 1692
39. Petition for John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor, August 5, 1692
40. Petition for John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor, August 5, 1692
Bridget Bishop
41. Examination of Bridget Bishop (as Recorded by Ezekiel Cheever), April 19, 1692
42. William Stacy against Bridget Bishop, May 30, 1692
43. Sarah Churchill and Mary Warren against Bridget Bishop and Others, June 1, 1692
44. Physical Examinations of Bridget Bishop and Others, June 2, 1692
45. John Bly Sr. and Rebecca Bly against Bridget Bishop, June 2, 1692
46. John Bly Sr. and William Bly against Bridget Bishop, June 2, 1692
47. Richard Coman against Bridget Bishop, June 2, 1692
48. John Louder against Bridget Bishop, June 2, 1692
49. Samuel Shattuck and Sarah Shattuck against Bridget Bishop, June 2, 1692
50. Susannah Sheldon against Bridget bishop and Others, June 3, 1692
Dorcas Hoar
51. Examination of Dorcas Hoar (as Recorded by Samuel Parris), May 2, 1692
52. Sarah Bibber against Dorcas Hoar, July 2, 1692
53. Elizabeth Hubbard against Dorcas Hoar, July 2, 1692
54. Ann Putnam Jr. against Dorcas Hoar, July 2, 1692
55. Mary Walcott against Dorcas Hoar, July 2, 1692
56. Mary Gage against Dorcas Hoar and Others, September 6, 1692
57. John Hale against Dorcas Hoar, September 6, 1692
58. Joseph Morgan and Deborah Morgan against Dorcas Hoar, September 6, 1692
59. John Tuck against Dorcas Hoar, September 6, 1692
60. Petition of John Hale, Nicholas Noyes, Daniel Epes, and John Emerson Jr., September 21, 1692
George Burroughs
61. Benjamin Hutchinson against George Burroughs and Others, April 22, 1692
62. Examination of George Burroughs (as Recorded by Samuel Parris), May 9, 1692
63. Elizar Keyser against George Burroughs, May 9, 1692
64. Mercy Lewis against George Burroughs, May 9, 1692
65. John Putnam Sr. and Rebecca Putnam against George Burroughs, May 9, 1692
66. Mary Walcott against George Burroughs, May 9, 1692
67. Simon Willard and William Wormall against George Burroughs, May 9, 1692
68. Abigail Hobbs, Deliverance Hobbs, and Mary Warren against George Burroughs and Others, June 1, 1692
69. Mary Webber against George Burroughs, August 2, 1692
70. Ann Putnam Jr. against George Burroughs, August 3, 1692
71. Hannah Harris against George Burroughs, August 5, 1692
72. Thomas Greenslit against George Burroughs, September 15, 1692
73. Sarah Wilson and Martha Tyler against George Burroughs, September 15, 1692
Samuel Wardwell
74. Examination of Samuel Wardwell (as recorded by William Murray), September 1, 1692
75. Abigail Martin and John Bridges against Samuel Wardwell, September 14, 1692
76. Thomas Chandler against Samuel Wardwell, September 14, 1692
77. Ephraim Foster against Samuel Wardwell, September 14, 1692
78. Joseph Ballard against Samuel Wardwell, September 14, 1692
79. Martha Sprague, Mary Walcott, and Mary Warren against Samuel Wardwell, September 14, 1692
80. Petition from Andover Selectmen, September 26, 1692
4. The Witch Court under Attack
81. Confession of William Barker Sr., August 29, 1692
82. Recantation of Margaret Jacobs, undated
83. Declaration of Mary Osgood, Mary Tyler, Deliverance Dane, Abigail Barker, Sarah Wilson, and Hannah Tyler, undated
84. Increase Mather’s Conversation in Prison with Mary Tyler, undated
85. The Return of Several Ministers Consulted by His Excellency and the Honorable Council upon the Present Witchcrafts in Salem Village, June 15, 1692
86. Letter from Cotton Mather to John Foster, August 17, 1692
87. Letter from Robert Pike to Jonathan Corwin, August 9, 1692
88. Letter from Thomas Brattle to an Unnamed Clergyman, October 8, 1692
89. Letter from William Phips to William Blathwayt, Clerk of the Privy Council in London, October 12, 1692
5. Aftermath
90. Samuel Parris’s Meditations for Peace, Read to the Congregation at the Salem Village Church, November 18, 1694
91. Summary of Grievances against Samuel Parris, Read to the Congregation at the Salem Village Church, November 26, 1694
92. A Proclamation, December 17, 1696
93. Public Apology by Samuel Sewall, January 14, 1697
94. Public Apology by Jurymen, undated
95. The Public Confession of Ann Putnam, August 25, 1706
96. Reversals of Conviction, Judgment, and Attainder, October 17, 1711
97. The Massachusetts General Court Makes Restitution, December 17, 1711
98. Reversals of Excommunication at the Church in Salem Town, March 6, 1712
99. John Hale on "Hidden Works of Darkness," 1702
Appendixes
A Chronology of the Salem Witch Hunt (1692-1712)
Questions for Consideration
Selected Bibliography
Index
Authors
![Headshot of Richard Godbeer](http://prod-cat-files.macmillan.cloud/MediaResources/Authors/207W/7954195.jpg)
Richard Godbeer
![Cover: The Salem Witch Hunt, 2nd Edition by Richard Godbeer](http://prod-cat-files.macmillan.cloud/MediaResources/Jackets/258W/9781319088132.jpg)
The Salem Witch Hunt
Second Edition| 2018
Richard Godbeer
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