Salem Witch Judge: The Life and Repentance of Samuel Sewall
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.74 (525 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0060859601 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 368 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-10-29 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
While his peers viewed Native Americans as savages, Sewall advocated for their essential rights and encouraged their education, even paying for several Indian youths to attend Harvard College. Once he realized his error, Sewall turned his attention to other pressing social issues. Finally, at a time when women were universally considered inferior to men, Sewall published an essay affirming the fundamental equality of the sexes. The nefarious witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts represent a low point of American history, made famous in works by Longfellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne (himself a descendant of one of the judges), and Arthur Miller. In 1692 Puritan Samuel Sewall sent twenty people to their deaths on trumped-up witchcraft charges. The trials might have doomed Sewall to infamy except for a courageous act of contrition now commemorated in a mural that hangs beneath the golden dome of the Massachusetts State House picturing Sewall's public repentance. The text of that essay, composed at the deathbed of his daughter Hannah, is republished here for the first time.In Salem Witch Judge, a
Drawing on Sewall's diaries and stories told by her Aunt Charlotte, LaPlante sketches a compelling portrait of a committed family man, a dedicated magistrate and a deeply religious Puritan confronting his own shortcomings and questioning the doctrines of his religion. All rights reserved. 1)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. After his public repentance, Sewall reconsidered many Puritan teachings and wrote controversial treatises arguing for the equality of Native Americans, women and slaves. . LaPlante's splendid biography
"History from a new perspective" according to Breeni Books. The author of American Jezebel, a biography of the life of Puritan heretic Anne Hutchinson, has now meticulously chronicled the controversy surrounding Judge Samuel Sewall's involvement in the Salem Witch Trials. In Salem, Massachusetts during the year 1692, controversy erupted as scores of innocent townspeo. "New England History" according to Nicholas M. Zallas. I read this book as part of a book club where we meet to discuss what we've read. Being from New England, I was familiar with a lot of our local history during the 17th-18th century. However, this book really opened up my eyes and gave me a different perspective on how people lived in those days, what they t. A. Reader said An Intriguing Journey. This fascinating account of an early American leader'spublic and private life is the story of a good man whowas guilty of a terrible mistake. Seeing he did wrong,Samuel Sewall had the courage to say so, and repent.Eve LaPlante paints a vivid portrait of life in earlyNew England, especially the world of the e