AUDIOBOOK
Witchcraft in the United States
The History of Witches, Practices, and Persecution in America
Various Authors3.1
(14)
About
When people hear the word "witchcraft," certain images come to mind. American history buffs will immediately think of Salem, where hysteria in the 17th century led to notorious trials that continue to be the source of several historical studies, with scholars analyzing things from every direction. Was it a religious fervor? Was it a land grab? Was there fungus in the grain? Over 400 years later, there are still fundamental questions regarding the complete breakdown of moral order that pinned friend against friend and neighbor against neighbor.
As Salem proved, there has long been a natural curiosity about witchcraft.
All cultures and belief systems have ideas and definitions of what makes a witch, and this ultimately comes down to the human mind's natural need to break things into opposites. For all good, there must be evil, and for those who started to settle North America in the 17th century and beyond, witchcraft became the perfect explanation for what they couldn't understand or control. While most studies of witchcraft in the United States tend to focus on Salem, that hardly does the subject matter justice because understanding Native American and African concepts about witchcraft are just as important to American history as European ideas.
As Salem proved, there has long been a natural curiosity about witchcraft.
All cultures and belief systems have ideas and definitions of what makes a witch, and this ultimately comes down to the human mind's natural need to break things into opposites. For all good, there must be evil, and for those who started to settle North America in the 17th century and beyond, witchcraft became the perfect explanation for what they couldn't understand or control. While most studies of witchcraft in the United States tend to focus on Salem, that hardly does the subject matter justice because understanding Native American and African concepts about witchcraft are just as important to American history as European ideas.