While Massachusetts Bay ministers were lamenting the lack of devotion to the Puritan ideal and dwindling numbers of covenanted members in the late 17th century, everyday people were struggling with forces beyond their control. Between 1645 and 1715, the Little …
No doubt Samuel Sewall never anticipated his private diaries would be widely read and quoted by historians and others interested in the minutiae of his life. As a family man, merchant, and part-time judge, Sewall faced common challenges that rocked …
Richard Francis: From Sewall biographer to Salem witch trials storyteller Read more »
Massachusetts Bay Colony had numerous issues with pirates, from Dixey Bull to Blackbeard. During the interim (post-Andros, pre-Phips) government, the Court of Assistants ruled on a piracy case involving several men from Salem. The final verdicts would reverberate throughout the …
Viewing 17th century beliefs and witchcraft and through modern eyes.
Governor Phips created one of the first large-scale government coverups in American history by curbing free speech.
Professor Emerson W. Baker on Salem’s dark tourism and his hope for historical reflection.
Professor Emerson W. Baker on the way Danvers, Massachusetts, honored the victims of the 1692 Salem witch trials.
A student interview with Professor Emerson W. Baker on the triumph and tragedy of the 1692 Salem witch trials.
Goody Eunice Cole of Hampton, New Hampshire, spent years in prison on suspicion of witchcraft and familiarity with the devil.
