The Story of the Salem Witch TrialsBetween June 10 and September 22, 1692, nineteen people were hanged for practicing witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. One person was pressed to death, and over 150 others were jailed, where still others died. The Story of the Salem Witch Trials is a history of that event. It provides a much needed synthesis of the most recent scholarship on the subject, places the trials into the context of the Great European Witch-Hunt, and relates the events of 1692 to witch-hunting throughout seventeenth century New England. This complex and difficult subject is covered in a uniquely accessible manner that captures all the drama that surrounded the Salem witch trials. From beginning to end, the reader is carried along by the author’s powerful narration and mastery of the subject. While covering the subject in impressive detail, Bryan Le Beau maintains a broad perspective on events, and wherever possible, lets the historical characters speak for themselves. Le Beau highlights the decisions made by individuals responsible for the trials that helped turn what might have been a minor event into a crisis that has held the imagination of students of American history. |
Contents
| 1636 | |
A Summary View of Witchhunts in England | 1658 |
The Evil Hand Is upon Them | 1679 |
Is Not This a Brand Plucked From the Burning? | 7 |
If They Are Let Alone We Should All Be Devils and Witches | 5 |
God Will Deliver Us Out of the Hands of Unmerciful Men | |
God Will Give You Blood to Drink | |
What a Sad Thing It Is to See Eight Firebrands of Hell Hanging There | |
It Were Better That Ten Suspected Witches Should Escape Than That | |
Ruined in the Mistaken Management of the Terrible Affair Called | |
Epilogue | |
Notes | |
A Select Bibliography | |
Appendix | |
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The Story of the Salem Witch Trials: "we Walked in Clouds and Could Not See ... Bryan F. LeBeau No preview available - 2010 |