I can’t help but think the term “witch hunt” has been cheapened in recent years as a prominent, wealthy white man has been claiming to be the victim of one. Nevertheless, America was actually home to an infamous witch hunt some centuries ago. I’ve read a few books about it and there are many more yet to be read. The thing Emerson W. Baker’s A Storm of Witchcraft has going for it is the broader context he gives the events. Not only the events but the town of Salem also. Older than Boston, and a major city in its day, Salem had more history than the trials for which it is famous. Baker does a nice job of describing the ambivalence that residents have felt, and still feel, towards its past. Tragic, yes, but fascinating also.
I fell in love with Boston the first time I set foot in it. I made quite a few trips to Salem during my years there, drawn in by the history. So much isn’t recoverable. One of the aspects that comes clearly through Baker’s treatment is just how much of a Puritan problem witches were. And not just witches. Puritans didn’t care for those who differed from them. Quakers could be just as bad as Devil worshippers. And the tragedy of Salem illustrates that the Puritans didn’t much care for one another either. Religion gets that way when it’s weaponized. Baker points out the many pressures of what was essentially a frontier town on the coast. War with American Indians was still a reality. And Salem wouldn’t be innocent of the slave trade some decades later. But it all seems to keep coming back to 1692. And the death of the innocent.
Baker also points out how Cotton Mather covered his own tracks, justifying what he knew was wrong in order to keep privilege in its place. We tend to think of that as a modern trait, but clearly clergy were well aware of it back in the early days of this nation. Religions always do have a difficult time admitting it when they make mistakes. I think they’d find that people can be pretty forgiving, though, especially since they often advocate forgiveness themselves. This book is a thought-provoking treatment of Salem. The events that took place there have shaped this county in unexpected ways. They made the case, centuries ago, for tolerance of those who are different. It’s a lesson we still have trouble learning.
