American Freedom

A detailed Summary of American Freedom

Lori Lee Wilson is a historian that has studied many books that describe the history of the Salem Witch Trials. Fifty percent of the book, How History is Invented: The Salem Witch Trials tells what happened during the Salem Witch Trials. A large number of people were a suspect to be witches were innocent but accused guilty of witchcraft. Wilson explains the life of colonials living in Salem in 1692. These people lived in an isolated community where they felt threatened by the Indians, feared the bears and the animals in North America, and often disputed with neighbors about land boundaries. Throughout the book, Wilson creates a painted picture for readers for a better understanding of what puritan lifestyle is like in Salem during the late 1600's. In 1977, Wilson received a B.A. in history at Westmont College in California. Her love for history is from listening to stories of her great-grandmothers, and grandmothers, and mother told her. The stories they told her were interesting enough for Wilson to want to become a historian. Wilson has only written this book and one other book about the history of Trinity Episcopal Church in Shelburne.

Witchcraft has evolved from 35,000 B.C. up until the 1600's and 1700's. The word

It all started in late January of 1692 when Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams began to exhibit strange behavior, such as screaming, convulsive seizures, and trance-like states. Modern physicians were led to believe that these girls were under the influence of Satan. Reverend Samuel Parris held prayer services meant to reveal the identity of witches that were afflicting the girls. Magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin examined several girls and made accusations against numbers of people. Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Sarah Good, Sarah Wildes, and Elizabeth Howe were tried, condemned and then executed, for witchcraft. Most of these girls were under the age of eighteen and few were under twelve years old.

More Wonders of the Invisible World, written by Robert Calef condemns the witch-hunts as being un-Christian and is based on superstition. Captain John Alden was falsely accused of witchcraft. When Alden escaped from prison he called the afflicted, "wenches who played their juggling tricks, falling down, crying out, and staring into peoples faces" (58). Calef explains that the justice system was too crude and way off the edge. For example, George Jacobs Sr. was condemned with a death statement based on spectral evidence alone. Jacobs's granddaughter, Margaret Jacobs confessed she was a witch and this statement was used against him. Margaret then wrote a letter saying she lied about being a witch because she was too afraid for her life. Margaret's grandfather had been hung, and her mother had been arrested, and her brothers and sisters were left standing in the yard crying. Margaret's mother was brought into trial by the sheriff, and stood in front of the afflicted girls. The girls had no idea who she was and did not show signs of affliction towards the woman until Magistrate Hathorne said, "don't you know Jacobs, the old witch" (66)? Instantly the girls cried out and collapsed in fits, as if it were a hit for this woman to be executed. There was simply not enough evidence to support those suspected guilty of witchcraft.

Wilson's main importance of this book is to narrate how hi

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Approximate Word count = 1433
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History