The Salem Witch Trials

Start Free Trial

Editor's Choice

What might the title of Richard Godbeer's "Escaping Salem" suggest about the significance and future implications of witch hunts in colonial America?

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Richard Godbeer's title, Escaping Salem, seems to suggest that in order to develop an accurate understanding of the Puritans, their religion, and their New England communities, we have to get away from thinking about the town of Salem and the events for which it is best known: the accusation of hundreds of people for the crime of witchcraft, the prosecution of dozens of these individuals, and the execution of twenty of them.  The events that took place in Salem in 1692 were atypical of the Puritan spirit and mentality but because it is one of the few events from the colonial era that most of us are familiar with, we tend to apply our ideas about what happened in Salem to the Puritans in general.  Godbeer encourages a more accurate and nuanced understanding of this group; therefore, we must "escape" Salem.  Furthermore, dissociating the idea of a "witch hunt" from Salem will allow us to identify more modern examples of this phenomenon.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The title Escaping Salem suggests that Salem was not the only place that persecuted witches during the colonial period.  Godbeer examines another instance of a witch hunt in Stamford, Connecticut, that happened that same year.  In the short book he demonstrates that witch hunts were not just unique to Massachusetts.  The northeastern colonists were people who desired to create a new society based on their religious ideals.  Their agricultural ways meant that eventually they would spread out to lands farther than Massachusetts in order that more of their male sons could own farms.  These male sons took their religious values with them, honoring the church and hard work and demonizing anyone who was "other" in this system.  In Escaping Salem the author's thesis is that Salem was not the only place that this persecution of "witches" happened, and readers today can say that witch hunts still take place in American society as we persecute others who are not like the mainstream, especially during times of social stress.  The world of 1692 had stress as more people left the initial settlements and ventured into the woods in order to have their own land.  In the past, America worried about the spread of Communism from people we marked as "other," and in today's society the fear is over different religions.  Escaping Salem is an attempt to put the witch hunt into a broader context--by looking at a similar event in Connecticut, Godbeer points out that witch hunts were not only limited to Salem.  

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial