Description
Hoffer (history, U. of Georgia) approaches the Salem witch trials as a legal and social historian, looking at the phenomenon in light of recent studies of panic rumors, teen hysteria, child abuse, and intrafamily relations, and detailing the event in a narrative style. Includes an appendix on the origins of Tituba, the original "witch" in the trials. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
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For more than a year, between January 1692 and May 1693, the men and women of Salem Village lived in heightened fear of witches and their master, the Devil. Hundreds were accused of practicing witchcraft. Many suspects languished in jail for months. Nineteen men and women were hanged; one was pressed to death. Neighbors turned against neighbors, children informed on their parents, and ministers denounced members of their congregations.
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