Witchcraft at Salem

The traditional story about witchcraft at Salem says it was a hoax or self-delusion designed to support the clergy, opposed by the merchant class, and had harsh punishments caused by fanaticism (`Preface'). The facts contradict these assumptions. Witchcraft existed and was widely practiced in 17th century New England and Europe, as it exists today among the unlearned people of the world. It depends on psychogenic means. The afflicted persons were hysterics who were mentally ill. The clergy were the chief opponents of the witchcraft trials (p.x). The hunt for witches grew in the Renaissance (post 1450AD), not the Middle Ages, and was common to Europe. There was nothing unusual about outbreaks of witchcraft in the 17th century (p.xi). Most schoolbook histories are based on George Bancroft's flawed history (p.xii). The afflicted persons of Salem suffered from hysteria in a pathological sense (p.xv). Hansen used trial documents and contemporary narratives. He modernized the texts but left the Old Style dates alone. Hansen wrote most of this book while on a sabbatical leave from Pennsylvania State University (p.xvii). The book has a Contents, Notes, Selected Bibliography, and an Index. Early in 1692 some girls in Salem Village (now Danvers) became sick with alarming symptoms (Chapter 1). Their limbs were contorted, they suffered a temporary loss of speech, hearing, sight, and memory. There were hallucinations. These are the classic symptoms of hysteria, pathological and not fraudulent. They were examined by physicians; one diagnosed them as victims of witchcraft. Witchcraft is the belief in magic that deals with fertility, health, and foretelling the future (p.23). Christians treated the pagan fertility god (horns, cloven hoofs) as the devil (p.24). Witchcraft, like murder, comes in three degrees (p.25). White magic is a good luck charm (a rabbit's foot). Black magic is for a malicious intent. The third degree is a pact with the devil. It was a serious concern in the 17th century because of the harm to victims (p.26). The Renaissance (1450-1650AD) saw witchcraft trials (Joan of Arc, Gilles de Rais) and the publication of `Malleus Maleficarum', a manual on detecting witches (p.27). [Trust in the printed word?] this led to widespread executions in the 17th century, the age of modern science (Robert Boyle, Isaac Newton) and a dualistic universe (p.28). The learned community in general (scientists, philosophers, lawyers, and physicians) believed in an invisible world that affected the real world (p.29). The learned knew of popular credulity and ignorance (p.31). [Still true today?] A society that believes in witchcraft will make it work through psychosomatic illness (p.32). While many of the persons executed for witchcraft were innocent, some were guilty, as in Salem (p.33). Chapter 2 tells about witchcraft in New England, a tiny number compared to England, Scotland, and the Continent. Being smarter was dangerous (p.35). A person with a multiple persona

When one considers that carrying a rabbit's foot or cursing a neighbor would brand you a follower of the occult in 17th century New England, it isn't such a stretch to believe that Puritan leaders at Salem in 1692 might be correct in assuming that they were indeed over run with witches. Hansen's book is meticulously researched and his conclusions more than plausible. This might be the best book I have ever read on the subject.

Professor Hansen has greatly added to scholarly debate with this work. His thesis on the cause of the hysteria in Salem in 1692 is adequately summed up by the author as follows:"The direct cause of these fits, in the courtroom or out of it was, of course, not witchcraft itself, but the afflicted person's fear of witchcraft."This thesis is bolstered by Hansen's use of evidence demonstrating that withcraft was indeed practiced in New England at the time and was actually practiced by two or three of those condemned as witches. The hysteria is a product of the belief common in the culture that witchcraft could indeed harm and kill.Despite the Puritan culture in which the trials arose, it appeared not uncommon for those in the Salem area to practice some "white" magic involving charms. While such evidence does not make one a witch, but only a product of a supersticious society, evidence of the use of such magics was used by the tribunals in support of their prosecutions of malefic witchraft in Salem. It was malefic witchcraft (that magic intended to harm the person or property of another) which was of concern to the tribunals in Salem.What particularly struck me was Hansen's defense of Cotton Mather. Mather has been pilloried by most historians as a major pivotal cause in stirring up what quickly became a witch hunt. Hansen argues, and provides significant support, that Mather consistently urged caution regarding the use of "spectral" evidence. Once he became aware that the tribunals were relying heavily on spectral evidence, he urged that a member of the clergy be placed on the tribunals so that this evidence could be properly weighed. The author contends that Mather's only real fault is that he trusted the judgment of the tribunal because he respected each member as friend and as competent to judge such cases. Nonetheless, the tribunals acted more as prosecutor than an independent trier of fact.In sum, the author's approach is unique and refreshing. This book is a worthy work of scholarship and is an easy read. I highly recommend it.

This is one of the most scholarly, interesting books I have ever read on this subject. Too many people will settle for sensationalism and never understand the real story.

This book was wonderfully written. Explains, in detail, the events of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. The book is factual, and written so that those with no previous knowledge of this subject can become fully informed. Text contains simple, easy-to-understand language