Documents of the Salem Witch Trials

This book provides readers with an in-depth understanding of the Salem witch trials through the use of primary source materials and explanatory editorial comments. It offers a unique perspective on the events of 17th-century Salem and sheds light on the belief systems, religious and social culture, and complexities of the trials. The primary sources used are drawn from a vast archive of materials, providing a broad and balanced mix of documents that give students a comprehensive understanding of the event.

Format: Hardback
Length: 181 pages
Publication date: 04 January 2018
Publisher: ABC-CLIO

This book is a remarkable resource for anyone interested in learning more about one of the darkest events in American history, the Salem witch trials. Through its extensive use of primary source materials and provision of explanations, it places readers into the context of late 17th-century Salem to shed light on this fascinating event.

Despite being commonly covered in school curricula, the nature of the trials is often misunderstood. This book enables readers to gain a unique perspective and insight into the nature of this event through a representative selection of primary source materials, each of which is prefaced with explanatory editorial comments. The result is a work that clarifies the belief systems and religious and social culture of 17th-century Massachusetts and places them into a comprehensible context to make sense of how the Salem witch trials came to happen.

The book provides an introductory overview of the Salem witch trials, which is followed by an array of primary sources that tell the Salem story in the words of both the accusers and the victims of that episode. Editorial commentary accompanies each of the documents, placing it into its historical framework and clearly explaining archaic terminology and testimony.

The primary sources used in this work are drawn from the vast archive of Salem witch trial sources, including court testimonies, court depositions, commentary from journals, miscellaneous court records such as arrest and death warrants, and writings by contemporary critics of the trials. This broad and balanced mix of documents gives students of the Salem witch trials a unique sense of the extent and impact of this event on the people of colonial Massachusetts as well as the complexity of the event.

In conclusion, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about the Salem witch trials. Its extensive use of primary source materials and provision of explanations place readers into the context of this fascinating event and provide a unique perspective and insight into its nature and impact on American history.

Weight: 644g
Dimension: 185 x 262 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781440853203