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Book, 2010
Current format, Book, 2010, , All copies in use.
Book, 2010
Current format, Book, 2010, , All copies in use. Offered in 0 more formats
This is the first book to explore the tragic personal lives of the leading players in Salem's witchcraft frenzy. During the 1692 witch trials, more than 150 people were arrested. An estimated 25 million Americans, including the author, are descended from the twenty individuals executed. What happened to our ancestors? This book takes a look at this complex time, by examining the lives of the witch trial participants from a personal perspective. Massachusetts settlers led difficult lives; every player in the Salem drama endured hardships barely imaginable today. Mercy Short, one of the "bewitched" girls, watched as Indians butchered her parents; Puritan minister Cotton Mather outlived all but three of his fifteen children. Such tragedies shaped behavior and, as the author argues, ultimately played a part in the witch hunt's outcome. A compelling "who's who" to Salem witchcraft, this work profiles each of these historical personalities as it asks: Why was this person targeted?
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