Salem Witchcraft and Cotton Mather: A Reply by Charles W. Upham

Description

Salem Witchcraft and Cotton Mather: A Reply is a book by Charles W. Upham, first published in 1869. In this compact but rigorous work Upham answers contemporary criticism of his earlier study of the 1692 witchcraft cases and mounts a careful defence of his research and judgments. Writing as a historian of New England, he situates the Salem events within Puritan clergy, local politics, and social pressures, and examines the contested role played by Cotton Mather and other ministers in the spread and interpretation of witchcraft accusations. Upham’s reply reads as both scholarly rejoinder and public correction: it traces the sources and evidence behind previous accounts, challenges what he sees as unfair or superficial criticisms, and insists on weighing testimony, ministerial influence, and judicial practice together rather than singling out any one cause. The tone is forensic and often polemical, aimed at students of early American history, genealogists, and anyone intrigued by the roots of the Salem witch trials and the complex relationship between religion, law, and communal fear in seventeenth-century New England.

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Formats: PDF, epub, AZW3
Page Count (PDF): 132
Word Count: 83,357
Illustrations: No
Footnotes: 4
Note: All of the books available here were first published generations ago. Care has been taken to produce clear, readable files, and each ebook is fully formatted with features such as a linked table of contents and clearly structured chapter headings. Where applicable, illustrations and footnotes have also been carefully presented for ease of reading. None of these ebooks are DRM-protected. As with any historical text, occasional imperfections may remain.