Book Review: The Specter of Salem
It all started in 1692, when two girls (ages 9 and 11) began to experience fits. Three local women were accused of witchcraft.
Many began to believe that a conspiracy of witches was attacking the colony and the investigations accelerated. Before the end, 200 people were accused and 19 were hung. One fellow, Giles Corey, was pressed to death with stones. Others died in prison, while some fled the colony.
The Specter of Salem examines the cultural memory of these events. As Adams writes in the introduction, “this is not a book about the history of Salem witchcraft, but a book about what American political culture has made of Salem witchcraft.”
People are familiar with the modern use of the term “witch hunt”, and we know what it refers to, but we have mostly forgotten how this metaphor has been used throughout the country’s history.
The long-lasting effects of the Salem witch trials are fascinating to read about. Different groups throughout history have seized Salem’s legacy as a convenient way to denounce their enemies. Southern politicians used it as an example of Northern brutality. Trying to show the consequences of religious “fanaticism”, others tried to use it against Mormons.
The majority of the book focuses on how Salem was invoked from the American Revolution to the end of the nineteenth century. A small section at the end explains the metaphor’s use in more modern times. This includes terrorism, McCarthyism, the Scopes Monkey Trial, and Clinton’s impeachment case.
Overall, Adams does an impressive job of making you think about how a nation is shaped by cultural memories.
If you are interested in this book, visit the author’s website or the publisher’s website.
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Interesting. I have read several books on the witch trials. But I haven’t ever seen a book about America’s REACTION to the witch trials. I think I will pick this one up.
Good research, analogies, and perspective. Interesting read.