Histories

Holy Hooker, what is this? TWO blog posts in TWO days?


George Bancroft, The History of the United States of America (1834)

* Democratic politician and diplomat.
* The first, after Calef's More Wonders of The Invisible World, to mention the strained relations between Reverend Samuel Parris and some of his Parishioners, and then notes 'The delusion of witchcraft would give opportunities of terrible vengeance.'
* Like Hutchinson, he makes some claim of fraud on behalf of the afflicted girls, and also makes note of the similarities between their 'strange caprices' and those of the Goodwin children in Mather's Memorable Providences

' The oppotunity of fame, of which the love is not the exclusive infirmity of noble minds was placed within the reach of persons of the coursest mould; and the ambition of notoriety recruited the little company of the possessed.'

*After acknowledging this, he then claims all responsibility for the Witch-hunt rests 'the very few, hardly five or six, in whose hands the transistion state of the government left, for a season, unlimited influence.' I see the point Bancroft is trying to make- I too agree that the court of Oyer and Terminer was flawed in regards to its requirements for conviction. However, I do not believe that we can blame solely the judges; accusations were flying before the court was set up, so something else must have triggered it- And Bancroft has already commented on Parris and his Parishioners, fraud and fame. Hill makes an interesting comment about Bancrofts opinion- he 'displays an overly optimistic Jacksonian Democrat's faith in the good sense of the people.'

* He is astute on the role of Cotton Mather- 'He is an example how far selfishness, under the form of vanity and ambition, can blind the higher faculties, stupefy the judgement, and dupe consciousness itself.' He was clearly not a fan of the guy.
* Notes 'The invisible world began to be less considered; men trusted more to observation and analysis', and the end of Mathers influence, as the reason the Salem trials never extended into other areas.

Charles W. Upham, Salem Witchcraft, (Boston, 1867), part 3: "Witchcraft in Salem Village"

* Ascribes almost every aspect of the witch-hunt to conscious fraud and conspiracy. Oversimplistic.
* HOWEVER, understood the political background to the witch-hunt better than anybody up until the 1970's, which is why his history is an inclusive exploration of the trials' causes and development.

Upham lists a number of relevant factors that may have contributed to the trials- which is one aspects of his history I like. Whilst his conclusions may on the whole be oversimplified, he identifies multiple facets of the society at the time.
* acknowledges 'controversy' between Parris and Salem Village inhabitants
* 'doctrines of demonology had produced their full effect upon the minds of men'
* Stories such as that of the Goodwin children were well known thoughout New England
* People in neighbouring towns were already in prison on charges of witchcraft
* Deputy-governor Danforth (who would become a judge in the trials) had already begun the work of arrests.
* Parris' Indian slave Tituba may have had some knowledge of Spanish/ West Indies 'witchcraft'

Upham then goes on with Mather's idea of the 'afflicted', but develops it into a spiritualist circle headed by Tituba and her husband John Indian. She taught the young girls all about palmistry, fortune-telling, magic etc., which the girls then used for attention.

I'm verrryyyyy dubious on that last point. Sorry Upham, but I don't quite buy it.

Samuel G. Drake, Annals of Witchcraft in New England (New York, 1869)

* His Annals consists mainly of reproductions of the trial transcripts
* Continues with the idea of the spiritualist 'circle', but makes no mention of Tituba
* Blames the girls and their dabbling in witchcraft as the primary cause 'Such were the characters which set in motion that stupendous tragedy, which ended in blood and ruin.'


Sooooo... I have no idea if any of this is relevant to anything- but I figured I should at least demonstrate that stuff has been happening. There is more to come!

I've discovered through my reading that as historical interpretations of the trials become more modern, so too do they become increasingly concerned with science and psychology. But more on that later. I'm off for a shower, and then onto Japanese speaking (joy oh joy)