Salem Witch Trials Summary

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The notorious Salem Witch Trials were a dark period in America’s history that began in 1692. It all began after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and had accused several local women of witchcraft. The Trials were a classic portrayal of scapegoating. At the time, fear of the Devil, and witches who did his bidding, was very real in Salem. People feared that the Devil was constantly trying to find ways to break down and destroy Christians and their religious communities.
Cotton Mather was a socially and politically influential Puritan minister, innovative author, and pamphleteer. Born in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, he came from a long line of prominent Puritan ministers. Mather …show more content…
The book includes detailed notes about the supposed afflictions of several children in the Goodwin family in Boston. His work with the Goodwin family, and his previous book spread like wildfire and some historians even believe that that text and Mathers’ were responsible for laying the groundwork for the Salem Witch Trials which took place 3 years later. It was Mather's interest in the craft and actions of Satan that won him an audience with the most powerful figures involved in the trial proceedings, several of the judges and the local ministers in Salem. Later scholars have suggested that this book in fact outlined the symptoms of clinical hysteria.. Scholars suggest that Mather's dramatic descriptions the devil's activity upon the young Goodwin children may have led to the first cry of witchcraft among the young girls in Salem …show more content…
He wanted to raise awareness to the people in the community for keep an eye out for the signs of “infection”. Mathers was sure of witchcraft that these accounts could have been skewed. “ADD A QUOTE PG 51” According to the dates the accounts were written on, he seemed to have been writing it simultaneously along with the trails. In order to verify the reality of these events, other accounts of the trials, and looking at documents from other lenses beside supernatural.
Cotton Mather’s made many crucial contributions to New England at the time through his writing. He was an influential man that laid the groundwork for the infamous Salem Witch Trials. His interest in witchcraft and even broader the devil build his up a big fan base where people came to become more informed about their wellbeing and survival. These accounts along with many others like it would be useful for studying and understanding the Salem Witch Trials. Mather’s contributions along with others allow historians to fit pieces together to form a bigger and more accurate
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