DOCSLIB.ORG

The Salem Witch Trials [Type Text] Elise Forte the Many Faces of The

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Salem Witch Trials [Type Text] Elise Forte the Many Faces of The The Salem Witch Trials [Type text] Elise Forte The Many Faces of the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 By: Elise Forte Dr. Sheila O’Hare LI861 Current Issues in Information Transfer Salem Witch Trials [Type text] Forte 2 Introduction The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 are cause for great speculation and mystery. It appears to have occurred suddenly, causing mass hysteria not just locally but regionally as well. After the executions of 20 individuals, the accusations and convictions ended and life, for all intents and purposes, continued on. The Salem Witch Trials are of historical significance for nothing like it has happened in early American history, in that extreme, before. “It lasted longer, jailed more suspects, condemned and executed more people, ranged over more territory, and afterwards was quickly repudiated by the government as a colossal mistake” (Ray, 2010). The 16th and 17th centuries acknowledged the existence of witches and witchcraft, but few executions ever happened, and nothing to the extreme of Salem. Europe was an ocean away and the trials and tribulations experienced on the continent had no meaning for those who lived in pre-Colonial America. The closest event that has happened that is similar to the panic and fear similar to the Salem Witch Trials is the era of McCarthy and Communism. Many scholars have taken an in- depth look at the who, why, and how of the incidents that transpired in 1692. The Salem Witch Trials were so intense for a short duration of time that the incidents has even entered the world of pop culture with Arthur Miller’s award-winning play The Crucible, and inspiring movies such as the 1958 film Bell, Book, and Candle and 1992’s Hocus Pocus. The following paper will look at a few more modern theories that have tried to decipher and make sense of the Salem Witch Trials. The different fields of study that have been used to decipher the mystery include economics, geography, sociology, and psychology. Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, Mary Beth Norton, and Jamies West Davidson and Mark Hamilton Lytle are included to explain not just what happened in Salem, Massachusetts 300 years ago, but why. First the paper will begin with a synopsis of the events of 1692 followed by a brief commentary of how the Salem Witch Trials have been studied in the past. The paper will then conclude with how the Salem Trials are currently being viewed and studied. In 1692 the Reverend Parris came to Salem Village to be pastor of the new church established by the local village people. These people were far removed from the more populated, bigger, and more established Salem Town. Many were complaining that it was too far to travel for church every Sunday, and Salem Village was becoming big enough to support their own pastor and congregation. After three former, and unsuccessful, pastors, Reverend Samuel Parris accepted the position. In the winter of 1691-1692, several local girls and young women had met to divine what kind of husbands they would each marry. In the middle of the proceedings one of the girls claims to have seen a figure in the shape like a coffin. Parris’s daughter and niece, 8/9 year old Betty Parris and 11 year old Abigail Williams, came down with a mysterious illness. The two girls were saying that they were being “bitten and pinched by invisible agents…” (Davidson, Lytle, 2010). Soon after, other local girls and young women were claiming that they, too, were Salem Witch Trials [Type text] Forte 3 suffering from the same afflictions. After bringing in several other doctors and ministers, Reverend Parris was convinced that the girls suffered from witchcraft. It would soon turn out that the “invisible agents” torturing the young women were all too visible. A local woman, Mary Sibley, with the best of intentions, decided to have Parris’ two slaves, John and Tituba Indian, bake a witch cake to determine whether the girls were really being bewitched. A cake was fed to a dog, containing the girl’s urine and rye meal, and if the dog suffered the same afflictions as the girls, dark magic was indeed at work. (It was thought that when a witch was tormenting someone, part of her essence was passed to the abused and stayed with them, hence the urine from the afflicted girls. Also, some interpretations say that a witch cake will bring out a name of the witch doing the tormenting). The witch cake did not work, as the girls symptoms got worse. The girls were claiming that spectral images of certain individuals were tormenting them and, pressured by the adults, the girls named three local women. These local women just happened to be local outcasts, not well liked by the majority of the villagers. In February formal charges were drawn up and arrests were made. Parris’ slave Tituba was charged and admitted to being a witch. Here is where the Salem episode takes a dramatic turn. Not only did Tituba confess to being a witch, she claimed that five other individuals, one of them a man, were in league with the devil. Tituba’s confession laid the groundwork for not only how the trial was to proceed in upcoming months, but the drama that was to unfold from both accusers and accused. One of the things that previously did not happen in witchcraft trials was that the accused were questioned separate from the accusers. After several more afflictions and other individuals were named, a court was established in June to deal exclusively with the accusations and trials. This court was the Court of Oyer and Terminer, which features prominently in several of the articles. The pressure was great to confess, for your life would be spared and you would be forgiven. However, those that confessed were expected to name others who had dealings with the devil and present details of their crimes. The list of those being accused of witchcraft grew and by September of 1692 eight more people were hanged. During the summer pressure had been building to stop the trials. The accusations had grown beyond Salem Village and things were getting out of hand. Several ministers had been cautioning magistrates to put things to an end and in October Increase Mather, a respected preacher in the colony, published a sermon condemning spectral evidence, and it was signed by fourteen other pastors. The sermon was enough evidence to convince the governor that things had gone too far, and he forbade any more arrests and dismissed the court that was established the previous summer. The following January a new court met and released the remaining 100 people who were arrested and in jail. Ten months and 20 executions later, the accusations ended and life resumed. The sudden end to what some have called an epidemic continues to baffle historians. Few witchcraft crises in the late 17th century ever reached the courts, and the ones that did were Salem Witch Trials [Type text] Forte 4 dealt with quickly. What made Salem so different? Several historians have taken different avenues to interpret not only what happened in Salem, but why. Tituba and Ethnohistory Several papers have been written trying to explain what happened over 300 years ago. Most of them focus on religious, economic, and geographic theories for why the Salem Witch Trials happened, when they did, and where they occurred. Even some studies have taken a gender specific approach discussing the afflicted girls and the older women who were accused. Even fewer mention the slave woman Tituba, but it is Tituba’s story and confession that sets the tone for the upcoming witch-hunt. In her paper Tituba’s Confession: The Multicultural Dimensions of the 1692 Salem Witch-Hunt Elaine G. Breslaw tries to shed some light on the looked over importance of Tituba. Her article is a great benefit to researchers or curious students who want to find out more about the Salem Witch Trials. The article takes an ethnic, post-modern approach by making Tituba and her confession the sole thesis of her paper. Tituba’s Confession lays the groundwork for the drama that would soon unfold in the village of Salem. Breslaw acknowledges that not a lot is known about Tituba, but “part of her credibility to her Salem audience was enhanced by her identification as an American Indian whose culture had long been associated with demonic power” (Breslaw, 1997). Despite the lack of information of Tituba’s background, Breslaw makes a compelling case that Tituba “*blended+ elements from English, African, and American Indian notions of the occult” (Breslaw, 1997). She postulates that Tituba’s confession “was not merely the frightened response of a slave woman but a sophisticated manipulation of her interrogators’ deepest fears” (Breslaw, 1997). In other words, Tituba took her knowledge of what she knew of the Puritans concept of evil, and told the magistrates what they wanted to hear, in the way they wanted to hear it. Breslaw’s sources for her article were the court records that have survived as well as Tituba’s confession found in the Salem Witch Papers, currently apart of the Essex archives. Religion Benjamin C. Ray takes a theological approach to explain how and why the Salem Witch Trials happened. Ray is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia and is an editor of the Record of the Salem Witch-Hunt, which is a new transcription of the Salem witch trial court records. The original court records and maps were his primary sources to defend and highlight his argument. He did look at contemporary sermons and publications of Puritanism of the time period, such as Cotton Mather.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Historical Studies Journal 2013
    Blending Gender: Colorado Denver University of The Flapper, Gender Roles & the 1920s “New Woman” Desperate Letters: Abortion History and Michael Beshoar, M.D. Confessors and Martyrs: Rituals in Salem’s Witch Hunt The Historic American StudiesHistorical Journal Building Survey: Historical Preservation of the Built Arts Another Face in the Crowd Commemorating Lynchings Studies Manufacturing Terror: Samuel Parris’ Exploitation of the Salem Witch Trials Journal The Whigs and the Mexican War Spring 2013 . Volume 30 Spring 2013 Spring . Volume 30 Volume Historical Studies Journal Spring 2013 . Volume 30 EDITOR: Craig Leavitt PHOTO EDITOR: Nicholas Wharton EDITORIAL STAFF: Nicholas Wharton, Graduate Student Jasmine Armstrong Graduate Student Abigail Sanocki, Graduate Student Kevin Smith, Student Thomas J. Noel, Faculty Advisor DESIGNER: Shannon Fluckey Integrated Marketing & Communications Auraria Higher Education Center Department of History University of Colorado Denver Marjorie Levine-Clark, Ph.D., Thomas J. Noel, Ph.D. Department Chair American West, Art & Architecture, Modern Britain, European Women Public History & Preservation, Colorado and Gender, Medicine and Health Carl Pletsch, Ph.D. Christopher Agee, Ph.D. Intellectual History (European and 20th Century U.S., Urban History, American), Modern Europe Social Movements, Crime and Policing Myra Rich, Ph.D. Ryan Crewe, Ph.D. U.S. Colonial, U.S. Early National, Latin America, Colonial Mexico, Women and Gender, Immigration Transpacific History Alison Shah, Ph.D. James E. Fell, Jr., Ph.D. South Asia, Islamic World, American West, Civil War, History and Heritage, Cultural Memory Environmental, Film History Richard Smith, Ph.D. Gabriel Finkelstein, Ph.D. Ancient, Medieval, Modern Europe, Germany, Early Modern Europe, Britain History of Science, Exploration Chris Sundberg, M.A.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender-Related Terms in English Depositions, Examinations And
    ACTA UNIVERSITATIS UPSALIENSIS Studia Anglistica Upsaliensia 132 Editores Rolf Lundén, Merja Kytö & Monica Correa Fryckstedt Sara Lilja Gender-Related Terms in English Depositions, Examinations and Journals, 1670–1720 Dissertation presented at Uppsala University to be publicly examined in Ihresalen, Engelska parken, Humanistiskt centrum, Thunbergsvägen 3L, Uppsala, Saturday, March 31, 2007 at 10:15 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The examination will be conducted in English. Abstract Lilja, S. 2007. Gender-Related Terms in English Depositions, Examinations and Journals, 1670–1720. Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. Studia Anglistica Upsaliensia 132. 245 pp. Uppsala. ISBN 978-91-554-6801-9. This dissertation focuses on gender-related terms as well as adjectives and demonstratives in connection with these terms used in texts from the period 1670–1720. The material in the study has been drawn from both English and American sources and comes from three text categories: depositions, examinations and journals. Two of these text categories represent authentic and speech-related language use (depositions and examinations), whereas the third (journals) is representative of a non-speech-related, non-fictional text category. While previous studies of gender-related terms have primarily investigated fictional material, this study focuses on text categories which have received little attention so far. The overarching research question addressed in this study concerns the use and distribution of gender-related terms, especially with regard to referent gender. Data analyses are both quantitative and qualitative, and several linguistic and extra-linguistic factors are taken into account, such as the semantic domain to which the individual gender-related term belongs, region of origin and referent gender.
    [Show full text]
  • Sarah Vibber: the Accuser Who Managed to Stay on the Right Side of Wrong During
    1 Annie Roman Professor Norton Hist. 2090 November 29, 2017 Sarah Vibber: The Accuser Who Managed to Stay on the Right Side of Wrong During the Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 Introduction The Salem witchcraft crisis began in January 1692 when two young girls named Abigail Williams and Betty Parris fell ill. Betty’s father, the Reverend Samuel Parris, consulted the only doctor in Salem Village, who diagnosed the girls as being “under an Evil Hand.”1 Soon after that, Abigail and Betty accused Parris’ slave of bewitching them, thus setting off a chain of accusations and arrests that would result in the deaths of twenty innocent people. Although most of the accusers were girls and teenagers, older women also claimed to be afflicted. Four married women, including Bathshua Pope, Ann Putnam, Sr., Margaret Goodale, and Sarah Vibber, joined the girls in claiming to be tormented by the apparitions of supposed witches. At thirty-six, Sarah Vibber was the oldest afflicted person who made formal legal complaints during the witchcraft crisis, and she was a crucial witness for the court. Mary Beth Norton noted in In the Devil’s Snare that adult men played a critical role in legitimizing the complaints of the afflicted girls and women. During the Salem witchcraft crisis, accusations made by afflicted women and children only resulted in legal action if adult male “gatekeepers” found those accusations credible. According to Norton, female accusers 1 Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692, (NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002), 19. 2 confronted three levels of male gatekeepers (heads of households, examining magistrates, and judges and jurors) when seeking justice.2 Bathshua Pope, for example, claimed to be afflicted during examinations, but made no depositions or statements.
    [Show full text]
  • The Nature of Knowledge: Evidence and Evidentiality in the Witness Depositions from the Salem Witch Trials.” American Speech 87(1): 7–38
    KU ScholarWorks | http://kuscholarworks.ku.edu Please share your stories about how Open Access to this article benefits you. The Nature of Knowledge: Evidence and Evidentiality in the Witness Depositions from the Salem Witch Trials by Peter Grund 2012 This is the author’s accepted manuscript, post peer-review. The original published version can be found at the link below. Grund, Peter. 2012. “The Nature of Knowledge: Evidence and Evidentiality in the Witness Depositions from the Salem Witch Trials.” American Speech 87(1): 7–38. Published version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1215/00031283-1599941 Terms of Use: http://www2.ku.edu/~scholar/docs/license.shtml This work has been made available by the University of Kansas Libraries’ Office of Scholarly Communication and Copyright. Peter J. Grund. 2012. “The Nature of Knowledge: Evidence and Evidentiality in the Witness Depositions from the Salem Witch Trials.” American Speech 87(1): 7–38. (accepted manuscript version, post-peer review) The Nature of Knowledge: Evidence and Evidentiality in the Witness Depositions from the Salem Witch Trials PETER J. GRUND University of Kansas Abstract: This article explores evidentiality (or the linguistic marking of source of information), a topic that has received little attention in studies on the history of English. Using witness depositions from the witch trials in Salem, MA, in 1692–1693 as material, the article reveals that a number of linguistic features are used to indicate source of information, especially verb phrases (e.g. see, hear, tell) and prepositional phrases (e.g. to my knowledge, in my sight). It also shows that direct sensory experience and reports are the most common semantic categories of evidentiality in the documents, while inference and assumption are relatively uncommon.
    [Show full text]
  • The Anatomy of Correction: Additions
    KU ScholarWorks | http://kuscholarworks.ku.edu Please share your stories about how Open Access to this article benefits you. The Anatomy of Correction: Additions, Cancellations, and Changes in the Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Trials by Peter Grund 2007 This is the author’s accepted manuscript, post peer-review. The original published version can be found at the link below. Peter Grund. 2007. “The Anatomy of Correction: Additions, Cancellations, and Changes in the Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Trials.” Studia Neophilologica 79(1): 3–24. Published version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00393270701287439 Terms of Use: http://www2.ku.edu/~scholar/docs/license.shtml This work has been made available by the University of Kansas Libraries’ Office of Scholarly Communication and Copyright. Peter Grund. 2007. “The Anatomy of Correction: Additions, Cancellations, and Changes in the Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Trials.” Studia Neophilologica 79(1): 3–24. (accepted manuscript version, post-peer review) The Anatomy of Correction: Additions, Cancellations, and Changes in the Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Trials1 Peter Grund, Uppsala University 1. Introduction The Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 hold a special place in early American history. Though limited in comparison with many European witch persecutions, the Salem trials have reached mythical proportions, particularly in the United States. The some 1,000 extant documents from the trials and, in particular, the pre-trial hearings have been analyzed from various perspectives by (social) historians, anthropologists, biologists, medical doctors, literary scholars, and linguists (see e.g. Rosenthal 1993: 33–36; Mappen 1996; Grund, Kytö and Rissanen 2004: 146). But despite this intense interest in the trials, very little research has been carried out on the actual manuscript documents that have survived from the trials.
    [Show full text]
  • 8.5 X12.5 Doublelines.P65
    Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-66166-9 - Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt Edited by Bernard Rosenthal Frontmatter More information RECORDS OF THE SALEM WITCH-HUNT This book represents the first comprehensive record of all legal documents per- taining to the Salem witch trials, in chronological order. Numerous newly dis- covered manuscripts, as well as records published in earlier books that were over- looked in other editions, offer a narrative account of the much-written-about episode in 1692–93. The book may be used as a reference book or read as an unfolding narrative. All legal records are newly transcribed, and errors in previous editions have been corrected. Included in this edition is a historical introduction, a legal introduction, and a linguistic introduction. Manuscripts are accompanied by notes that, in many cases, identify the person who wrote the record. This has never been attempted, and much is revealed by seeing who wrote what, when. Bernard Rosenthal has written widely on American literature and culture. His monographs include City of Nature and Salem Story, and he has also edited many published volumes, including The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman, Jr. He is also the author of numerous articles and reviews. Rosenthal has received at different times four grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission in support of this book. One of his NEH grants was in collaboration with Benjamin Ray, partially in support of this book; another was to support this book’s comple- tion.
    [Show full text]
  • Syllabus for My Salem Witch Trials Graduate Course
    Seminar in Early American History - HIS 800-S1 Witchcraft and Magic, in Salem and Early New England SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY - Department of History – Fall 2015 Thursday 7:00-9:20 SB 109 The most important thing is how much you learn after you already know it all. -Earl Weaver Professor Emerson Baker Office: Sullivan 107A Phone: 978-542-7126 (office) 1-207-363-0255 (home) email: [email protected] Office Hours: TTH 12:10-1:30, Th 3:00-4:15 or by appointment. Please feel free to contact me anytime. Introduction The seminar will intensively examine the topic of witchcraft, and magic in early New England. Since the 1970s, this topic has become one of intense historical interest, as scholars try to weave their own scholarly interests into the historiography. The course will examine these different schools of history, as well as the way the famous Essex County Witchcraft outbreak of 1692 is perceived by the public today. Course Objectives The course will give you a detailed understanding of the early New England society, in particular, the aspects of that society related to witchcraft, magic, and popular culture. We will examine a range of topics in historiographic perspective, including: puritanism, women's history, ethnohistory, psychohistory, and community studies. In addition to these content objectives, in this course you will have the opportunity to develop skills necessary for the historian: critical reading, thinking, writing, and discussing history. Goals 1. Students will develop an understanding of the history of witchcraft and society in seventeenth century New England. 2. Students will develop an understanding of the different historiographical and methodological approaches to the study of witchcraft.
    [Show full text]
  • Male Witches in Colonial New England
    Western Washington University Western CEDAR WWU Graduate School Collection WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship 2011 Unruly men, improper patriarchs: male witches in colonial New England Rachel E. (Rachel Elizabeth) Lilley Western Washington University Follow this and additional works at: https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet Part of the Archival Science Commons Recommended Citation Lilley, Rachel E. (Rachel Elizabeth), "Unruly men, improper patriarchs: male witches in colonial New England" (2011). WWU Graduate School Collection. 163. https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/163 This Masters Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship at Western CEDAR. It has been accepted for inclusion in WWU Graduate School Collection by an authorized administrator of Western CEDAR. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Unruly Men, Improper Patriarchs: Male Witches in Colonial New England By Rachel Elizabeth Lilley Accepted in Partial Completion Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts Moheb A. Ghali, Dean of the Graduate School ADVISORY COMMITTEE Chair, Dr. Susan Amanda Eurich Dr. Laurie Hochstetler Dr. Kathleen Kennedy MASTER’S THESIS In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master‟s degree at Western Washington University, I grant to Western Washington University the non- exclusive royalty-free right to archive, reproduce, distribute, and display the thesis in any and all forms, including electronic format, via any digital library mechanisms maintained by WWU. I represent and warrant this is my original work, and does not infringe or violate any rights of others. I warrant that I have obtained written permissions from the owner of any third party copyrighted material in these files.
    [Show full text]
  • Apple Harvest Day Kicks Off Saturday
    In This Issue: Friday, October 6, 2017 Apple Harvest Day kicks off Saturday Apple Harvest Day parking and traffic restrictions Clerk's office unable to process motor vehicle registrations during state computer upgrade City offices closed on Columbus Day City Council to hold Keno games public hearing Oct. 11 Catch up with the mayor and superintendent over coffee Filing period for municipal election opens Sept. 11 Chamber, Dover Listens to host "Conversation with the Candidates" Apple Harvest Day Sunday hours at the Recycling Center begin Oct. 22 kicks off Saturday Check it Out! at the Dover Library The 33rd annual Apple Harvest Day kicks off Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Apple Harvest Day is filled with Article Title food, fun, and festivities. The annual event draws more City of Dover employment than 50,000 people to downtown Dover. opportunities Stay informed with City of Apple Harvest Day this year features children's activities, Dover special announcements a 5k Road Race, Apple Pie Contest, entertainment on City boards and commissions multiple stages, pancake breakfast, food, handcrafted seek to fill several vacancies arts, and much more. Discover Dover with Peek at the Week Apple Harvest Day festivities will take place in several locations in the central downtown area. Much of the activities will be located near the intersection of Washington Street and Central Street. A number of Meetings this week: designated parking areas will be available for visitors. City Council, Oct. 11, 7 For more information, a complete schedule of events, to p.m. register for the 5k or apple pie contest, or a Apple Harvest Day map, visit https://www.dovernh.org/apple- The City Council will hold a harvest-day.
    [Show full text]
  • Santoro 1 Emily Santoro History 2090 Professor Norton 6 December 2010
    Santoro 1 Emily Santoro History 2090 Professor Norton 6 December 2010 Samuel Parris as a Recorder The Salem witchcraft crisis of 1692 developed from a fairly common circumstance into a unique and complicated event. Fortunately court records, town records, and letters from the time period survived to assist contemporary scholars to understand and explain its occurrence. Recently, handwriting analysis on these documents identified some recorders and enabled a closer analysis of these papers. This knowledge can answer the questions of why a recorder wrote specific documents and what his judicial role was on a certain day. The Salem Village minister, Samuel Parris, actively participated in the Salem witch trials. His daughter, Elizabeth Parris, and his niece Abigail Williams, were two of the first afflicted girls and accusers during the crisis. Further, Parris recorded several judicial documents in 1692 and an obvious pattern emerged. Samuel Parris’s role as a recorder in the Salem witchcraft trials depended on the involvement of his niece, Abigail Williams, and his church members. In addition, the accused mentioned in the documents written by Parris and their families tended not to sign the petition supporting him in 1695 which suggests continued animosity. Out of the 980 documents concerning the Salem witch trials, Samuel Parris’s handwriting has been identified on 48.1 Why had Parris written these particular documents? Since he did not record a majority of them, he did not have an official role recording all of the trials and associated papers. On the other hand, the figure indicates his recording was not done on rare occasions.
    [Show full text]
  • Additions, Cancellations, and Changes in the Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Trials.” Studia Neophilologica 79(1): 3–24
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by KU ScholarWorks KU ScholarWorks | http://kuscholarworks.ku.edu Please share your stories about how Open Access to this article benefits you. The Anatomy of Correction: Additions, Cancellations, and Changes in the Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Trials by Peter Grund 2007 This is the author’s accepted manuscript, post peer-review. The original published version can be found at the link below. Peter Grund. 2007. “The Anatomy of Correction: Additions, Cancellations, and Changes in the Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Trials.” Studia Neophilologica 79(1): 3–24. Published version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00393270701287439 Terms of Use: http://www2.ku.edu/~scholar/docs/license.shtml This work has been made available by the University of Kansas Libraries’ Office of Scholarly Communication and Copyright. Peter Grund. 2007. “The Anatomy of Correction: Additions, Cancellations, and Changes in the Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Trials.” Studia Neophilologica 79(1): 3–24. (accepted manuscript version, post-peer review) The Anatomy of Correction: Additions, Cancellations, and Changes in the Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Trials1 Peter Grund, Uppsala University 1. Introduction The Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 hold a special place in early American history. Though limited in comparison with many European witch persecutions, the Salem trials have reached mythical proportions, particularly in the United States. The some 1,000 extant documents from the trials and, in particular, the pre-trial hearings have been analyzed from various perspectives by (social) historians, anthropologists, biologists, medical doctors, literary scholars, and linguists (see e.g.
    [Show full text]