Customer Reviews

Witchcraft at Salem

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When one considers that carrying a rabbit's foot or cursing a neighbor would brand you a follower of the occult in 17th century New England, it isn't such a stretch to believe that Puritan leaders at Salem in 1692 might be correct in assuming that they were indeed over run with witches. Hansen's book is meticulously researched and his conclusions more than plausible. This might be the best book I have ever read on the subject.

The Salem witch incident, along with other witchcraft events in early New England, have long been a special interest of mine. Having read widely on the subject, I know better than to expect a single author to have THE answer to how and why these appalling persecutions happened. Hansen is the latest author I've looked into, and because his book was published in the 1960's, I was pretty surprised to find that he provides another slant on things. What if some of the accused actually were practicing "witchcraft", at least the "white" variety? He then discusses evidence that strongly suggests that some of them were. Hansen also puts belief in witches in its proper historical context. Sort of like voodoo today, if you believed in witchcraft, it worked. Hansen's interpretation of what happened to John Hale, one of the judges, is also intriguing, as is his use of psychosomatic psychology.
Glad I read this.

For years historians debated whether or not the Salem witch trials were the result of hysteria or just simple fraud. The idea that some of the accused could have been in fact guilty had never been seriously argued before. But, like a skilled prosecutor, Hansen laid out the case against several of the witches. Of course, he also realized that innocent people had been condemned as well and showed how that could have happened. If you are looking for a different perspective on the trials, be sure to read this book. Readers may also be interested in my book,Justice At Salem: Reexamining The Witch Trials which also offers an alternative theory about what happened in Salem in 1692.

This book is definitely for an advanced reader. It is not a storybook. At times, it can be very hard to follow. The author argues the theory that there was indeed some form of witchcraft, either white or black, happening in Salem. He makes some valid points.

Chadwick Hansen's "Witchcraft at Salem" gives an interesting if controversial account of the infamous Salem Witch Trials that took place in Salem. Massachusetts in 1692. Hansen essentially claims that at least some of the accused persons who were tried and eventually hanged for witchcraft were, in fact, practicing witches.

Using contemporary accounts and the trial documents, Hansen relates the usual details of the rise and fall of the terrible dealings that took place that year in Salem Village. It chronicles how early in the year two young girls, the daughter and niece of Samuel Parris, the local minister, inexplicably fell ill and began experiencing terrible "fits" and suffering visions of nocurnal visitations by what the girls claimed were local witches. The girls had reportedly been experimenting with simple egg yolk divination, under the guide of the Parris' slave Tituba, a mixed-blood Arawak Indian from Barbados (not a full blooded African as has often been reported) to tell the identity of their future husbands. After being being accused of being a witch by the girls and beaten by Reverand Parris, Tituba confessed to not only being a witch, but having made a pact with the Devil himself. Tituba then went on to implicate two other women, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. From there, the trials would sprial out of control into a bloodbath as neighbor accused neighbor and old jealousies lead to vengence. In all 19 people would be executed and at least 4 others would die as a result of the trials.

There has been much written on this popular subject, much of it contrary to each other in their theories of the origins and causes of the witchcraze. Theories have ranged from hysteria, food poisoning, to outright lies and falsehood. Hensen takes the view that several of the accused, notably Tituba, Bridget Bishop, and the Rev. George Burroghs (and perhaps others) were in fact practicing some form of witchcraft. He claims that while there is no direct evidence of Diabolic witchcraft or pacts with the Devil, several of these individuals could have been practicing forms of folk magic that would have opened them up to accusations. Tituba may have helped the girls perform a harmless form of divination by floating egg yolks in a glass of water to tell the girls romantic futures, though this type of thing was probably not uncommon in 17th century New England. Bridget Bishop was said to have had "poppets" hidden in her house, which could have been used as a form of image magic, and George Burroughs, a former minister in Salem, was rumored to have studied the occult, perhaps a bit too eagerly for his fellow townsfolk. Hensen's arguements are interesting but open to debate. Most other scholars who have written on this subject tend to dispute these theories citing lack of credible evidence to sustain the belief that any such witchery truly was taking place. While some of these individuals may have had some shady dealings or secretly practiced folk magic, one thing is certain, they were not witches. Despite this, Hensen does leave the door slightly cracked to the possibility of something more sinister going on in Salem then is generally admitted, which does make for some interesting reading.

Interesting premise - witchcraft WAS practiced in New England in the 17th Century! Extensively researched but dry writing style make it a chore to read. I got halfway through and my interest waned.

I was referred to this book by a Robin Cook novel. Curiosity got the best of me and I purchased the book. The novel is based on the more widely held view that ergot caused the hysteria in Salem.

The traditional story about witchcraft at Salem says it was a hoax or self-delusion designed to support the clergy, opposed by the merchant class, and had harsh punishments caused by fanaticism (`Preface'). The facts contradict these assumptions. Witchcraft existed and was widely practiced in 17th century New England and Europe, as it exists today among the unlearned people of the world. It depends on psychogenic means. The afflicted persons were hysterics who were mentally ill. The clergy were the chief opponents of the witchcraft trials (p.x). The hunt for witches grew in the Renaissance (post 1450AD), not the Middle Ages, and was common to Europe. There was nothing unusual about outbreaks of witchcraft in the 17th century (p.xi). Most schoolbook histories are based on George Bancroft's flawed history (p.xii). The afflicted persons of Salem suffered from hysteria in a pathological sense (p.xv). Hansen used trial documents and contemporary narratives. He modernized the texts but left the Old Style dates alone. Hansen wrote most of this book while on a sabbatical leave from Pennsylvania State University (p.xvii). The book has a Contents, Notes, Selected Bibliography, and an Index.

Early in 1692 some girls in Salem Village (now Danvers) became sick with alarming symptoms (Chapter 1). Their limbs were contorted, they suffered a temporary loss of speech, hearing, sight, and memory. There were hallucinations. These are the classic symptoms of hysteria, pathological and not fraudulent. They were examined by physicians; one diagnosed them as victims of witchcraft. Witchcraft is the belief in magic that deals with fertility, health, and foretelling the future (p.23). Christians treated the pagan fertility god (horns, cloven hoofs) as the devil (p.24). Witchcraft, like murder, comes in three degrees (p.25). White magic is a good luck charm (a rabbit's foot). Black magic is for a malicious intent. The third degree is a pact with the devil. It was a serious concern in the 17th century because of the harm to victims (p.26). The Renaissance (1450-1650AD) saw witchcraft trials (Joan of Arc, Gilles de Rais) and the publication of `Malleus Maleficarum', a manual on detecting witches (p.27). [Trust in the printed word?] this led to widespread executions in the 17th century, the age of modern science (Robert Boyle, Isaac Newton) and a dualistic universe (p.28). The learned community in general (scientists, philosophers, lawyers, and physicians) believed in an invisible world that affected the real world (p.29). The learned knew of popular credulity and ignorance (p.31). [Still true today?] A society that believes in witchcraft will make it work through psychosomatic illness (p.32). While many of the persons executed for witchcraft were innocent, some were guilty, as in Salem (p.33).

Chapter 2 tells about witchcraft in New England, a tiny number compared to England, Scotland, and the Continent. Being smarter was dangerous (p.35). A person with a multiple personality (different voices) was said to be possessed by demons (p.36). Similarities are seen in 20th century mental patients (p.37). The convulsive fits, common symptoms of hysteria, have become relatively rare (p.42). Was beating a cure for fits and insanity (p.83)? 17th century physicians used witchcraft as an explanation just like 20th century physicians use psychosomatic (p.97). Can fear kill (p.119)? People believed in spectral evidence (p.148). The Boston clergy has "serious reservations" about the witchcraft trials (p.173). Robert Pike criticized the witchcraft trials (p.181). The afflicted were liars or controlled by the devil (p.183). A suspect cannot plead innocent and practice witchcraft in court at the same time. One who changed her testimony was then accused of witchcraft (p.193)! The example of Salem provoked a witchcraft trial in Connecticut (p.201). One woman was declared innocent, the other guilty. The Connecticut clergy objected, the evidence of the afflicted maid was false or hysteria, and there was a reprieve (p.203). Increase Mather's book of 1693 "ended the witch hunt in Salem" (p.205). The accusations against people who were above suspicion put an end to the witchcraft trials (p.205). For twenty years after the trials Massachusetts did penance for the sin of shedding innocent blood (p.263). The short harvest and sudden and violent deaths was seen as God's displeasure. Cotton Mather always opposed "spectral evidence and reckless accusations" (p.265). The jurors apologized for their actions (p.267). One accuser apologized, some accusers became "profligate and vicious" (p.272).

Chapter 14 ends this book with a warning. While executions for witchcraft died out in 18th century Europe it continued in South America (p.279), and there was a case in 1929 Pennsylvania where a suspected witch was murdered. Louis XIV had a witchcraft scandal in 1680 (p.281). Hansen says the power of witches depends on people's beliefs (p.284). [A foolproof test for arsenic in the late 18th century led to people being hanged as poisoners, not witches with magical powers.] Hansen explains why the popular view of no witchcraft in Salem was quite wrong (p.285). Accusations of witchcraft came from the common people and were typically kept in check by the leadership of society. A witch hunt occurs when people can't distinguish between the innocent and the guilty (p.286). Are witch hunts another form of human error? When people suffer from natural disasters or mismanagement by rulers they look for scapegoats. You can view 1930s Germany as an example of blaming a minority for the faults of the leaders of society. Could anyone in the future view early 21st century America as another search for witches? Terrorists, illegal immigrants, etc. may be guilty of something, but it is the ruling class who helped to make it possible. Your opinions may vary.

This book was wonderfully written. Explains, in detail, the events of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. The book is factual, and written so that those with no previous knowledge of this subject can become fully informed. Text contains simple, easy-to-understand language

Hansen makes a rather odd argument: there really were witches at Salem and their witchcraft worked. Hansen is correct in asserting that magic and the supernatural were everyday parts of life in the early modern world. People practiced and believed in these things. However, Hansen believes that the power of witchcraft came from the power of belief and the problem of hysteria.

Hansen argues that the afflicted and many of those who confessed were hysterics. He uses cases studies of hysteria to back up his claims. There are some major problems with his argument. First, hysteria is no longer a recognized psychological condition, so the book (published in 1969) in incredibly dated. Second, Hansen works fiercely to make the facts of Salem fit his theory. By his reckoning, at least half of Massachusetts must have been suffering from hysteria! Moreover, he provides almost no context. Now, some of the afflicted may have suffered from various kinds of psychological or medical problems. One should also not discount the power of belief. But, Hansen's attempt to boil everything down to one explanation--to hysteria--just does not work.

This book is then very dated and contains a questionable argument, but it is still valuable. It is a major part of the historiography on Salem, and it was one of the first books to take these people's beliefs seriously. Moreover, Hansen provides many valuable insights on the trials and witch hunts in general that can be divorced from his flawed and outdated hysteria arguments.

Overall, this is not a book I would recommend to someone who is looking for their first book on Salem or to the general reader. This is a book that should be read by those studying the historiography of Salem or for those who know enough of the basics to be able to glean what useful information they can without accepting everything Hansen says as gospel. Hansen made a major contribution to the study of Salem, but the field has moved far beyond his explanation in the almost 40 years since this books publication.

This is one of the most scholarly, interesting books I have ever read on this subject. Too many people will settle for sensationalism and never understand the real story.