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Underwood, A. (2019). Witchcraft in the American colonies beyond the limits of Salem.Fairmont Folio: Journal of History, 19, 1-13. Web.
The article by Amanda Underwood published in Fairmont Folio: Journal of History centers around the history of witchcraft in American colonies. The author notes that the conversation surrounding the tragic persecution of thousands of men and women accused of connections to Satan seems to be fixated entirely on Salem (Underwood, 2019). The very words “witchcraft” and “Salem” have become synonymous, which creates the wrong impression that the trials happened only in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Thus, the purpose of the article was to examine the historical origins of witch trials on the American land, particularly focusing on the first and last documented cases, all of which happened in the Virginia Colony. The main idea Underwood (2019) tried to convey was that witch trials beyond the Massachusetts Bay area, particularly in the Virginia Colony, did not imply mass hysteria, mania, and hundreds of executions.
While some people were certainly accused, almost none were hanged or stoned. The main reason for that was that the Virginia Colony was a rural area, which meant that hearings occurred on the county level. As for the tragedies in Salem, the trials were held on the town level, which meant fewer respectable gentlemen and more clergy on the jury. Underwood (2019) supports her claims by logical reasoning and a combination of primary sources and scholarly research. The main sources used include the book The devil in Virginia in the seventeenth century by R.B. Davis as well as the article Witchcraft in the American colonies, 1647-62 by F.C. Drake. The author concludes that the trials in the Virginia Colony were distinct from other regions in terms of accusations and persecution (Underwood, 2019). The courts in Virginia were determined to keep the people calm and safe.
The facts presented in the article are mostly accurate. The only mistake found was the author mentioning that hundreds of accused witches were burned. The historical truth of the matter is that the majority of women and men were hanged. Schiff (2016) claims that “the American South reinforced the burning-at-the-stake fiction in the 19th century” (para. 2). There seem to be no methodology issues since Underwood (2019) uses credible sources, including a wide range of books and peer-reviewed articles, to support her claims. The author delves deep into the history of witchcraft accusations going as far as the 15th century. In addition, she provides examples by analyzing specific cases of witchcraft accusations in the Virginia Colony, including Joan Wright, Katherine Grady, Grace Sherwood, and others (Underwood, 2019). Due to such extensive research and the usage of many sources, the author’s argument and conclusion are convincing.
The article is rather influential in its successful attempt to shift the focus of the conversation about witchcraft to regions other than Salem and the Massachusetts Bay area. It provides new insights in regards to the absence of mass hysteria in the Virginia Colony. The author manages to refute highly-publicized myths about the witchcraft accusations. Moreover, in comparison to a number of scholarly works focusing entirely on Salem, the article features a fresh and historically accurate perspective on the notions of witchcraft on the American land as a whole. The fact that none of those accused faced execution in the Virginia Colony is a truly surprising fact. The reasons for such differences between Salem and other regions are startling as well.
References
Schiff, S. (2016). Five myths about the Salem witch trials.The Washington Post. Web.
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