The Controversial Legacy of Cotton Mather and the Witch Trials in Salem

Cotton Mather, a prominent figure during the Salem witch trials, played a significant role in the events that unfolded during this dark period in American history. As a Puritan minister and theologian, Mather was known for his strict adherence to Puritan beliefs and his belief in the existence of witches. He was unwavering in his support of the trials and actively encouraged the prosecution of those accused of witchcraft. Mather's influential book, "Wonders of the Invisible World," provided a justification for the witch trials and served as a guide for the court proceedings. In the book, Mather argued that witchcraft was a real and dangerous threat to the community, and justified the use of spectral evidence as sufficient proof of guilt. Spectral evidence was based on the testimonies of witnesses who claimed to have seen the accused witches' spirits tormenting others, rather than concrete physical evidence.

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Of course, Johansson appeared on the show as herself several times later in her career and as Just Jared points out, she actually talked about her brief role as a spelling bee champ when appearing on Late Night in 2003. I m Rob Buckley, a journalist who writes for UK media magazines that most people have never heard of although you might have heard me on the podcast Lockdown Land or Radio 5 Live s Saturday Edition or Afternoon Edition.

Spectral evidence was based on the testimonies of witnesses who claimed to have seen the accused witches' spirits tormenting others, rather than concrete physical evidence. Mather's support of the trials helped to fuel the hysteria that gripped Salem during this time. The trials began in 1692 and resulted in the execution of twenty people, with many more imprisoned or accused.

tv The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon NBC December 16, 2021 11:34pm-12:37am PST

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of new york city, it's "the tonight show starring jimmy fallon." tonight, join jimmy and his guests - scarlett johansson bowen yang musical guest toni cornell and featuring the legendary roots crew >> questlove: 1573 >> steve: and now, here he is, jimmy fallon [ cheers and applause ♪ ♪ applause [ cheers and applause [ cheers and applause >> jimmy: oh my goodness >> jimmy: oh my goodness thank you very, very much. i appreciate it. i'm happy to be here please enjoy yourself. welcome, welcome, welcome to the "tonight show" ladies and gentlemen.

[ cheers and applause you're here. you're watching the right show >> love you too jimmy. >> jimmy: well, i love you too [ light laughter ] well, guys, one of the biggest movies of the year, "spider-man: no way home" has finally hit theaters [ cheers and applause finally. fans are going nuts. people haven't been this pumped for a marvel movie since the last one came out a week ago [ laughter ] yep, everyone is excited to see it in theaters even dr. fauci was like, "screw it i have to support this guy [ laughter ] he's wearing a mask. let's go i'm ready to go. yeah, as we speak, fans are lined up to see the movie, including plenty of guys dressed like spider-man who definitely can't pull off dressing like spider-man [ laughter ] you know what i'm saying in this movie, spider-man has to fight off a bunch of crazy villains at once and after he does, he's immediately hired as a flight attendant for united [ laughter ]speaking of airlinea senate hearing, the ce speaking of airlines, in a a senate hearing, the ceos of southwest and american airlines both questioned the need for last month with

the same thing actually happened last month with the ceo of spirit and pants. [ laughter ] yup, the southwest ceo was like, "who needs masks there's plenty of fresh air. we fly with the top down buckle up, everybody!" [ laughter ] speaking of wearing masks on planes, i heard about one passenger who tried work around the rule listen to this >> a man is now banned from flying with united airlines after deciding to mask up with a bright red thong [ laughter and applause you fl, >> jimmy: if you fly spirit, that's the oxygen mask that drops down in an emergency [ laughter ] make sure to put it on yourself first, then -- [ laughter ] >> steve: "dumps like a truck. [ laughter ] >> jimmy: a few minutes later, an air marshal walked over and gave him a mouth wedgie. [ laughter ] you guys see this? former president trump is really upset with his old chief of staff mark meadows for writing in his book that trump's hair looked awful when he had covid [ laughter ] must have looked really bad.

because that's how most people describe trump's hair when he's healthy. [ laughter ] meanwhile, i read that this holiday season, melania trump is releasing her first nft called "melania's vision," a a watercolor of her eyes [ laughter ] donald is like, "i'm so proud of you congrats on the nft. [ laughter ] yep, trump is excited about it he thinks nft stands for "not filing taxes." [ laughter and applause yep, tru the cool thing about melania's nft, just like she does with her husband, as soon as you turn away, the eyes roll [ laughter ] it's amazing hey, this is cool. in a recent interview, usain bolt said that playing "mario kart" helped him become an olympic champion. [ cheers ] i'm in shock because apparently i've been training for the olympics for the last 35 years. [ laughter ] well, get this here in new york, an mta manager was caught with the blow-up doll in the front seat of his car and he's insisting that he uses it for the company and not so that he can drive in the carpool lane

[ laughter ] in a related story, he's lying [ laughter ] the guy was like, "look, if you have a problem, talk to my lawyer" and then he blew up another doll [ laughter ] and finally, guys, "sing 2" is coming out next week [ cheers and applause i mean, we are excited about this it has such an amazing cast. and we want to do something fun with the actors. so we gave them a bunch of weird phrases and asked them on sneak those phrases into their interviews as casually as possible no one knew we were doing this so check it out. it's time for "drop it in. [ cheers and applause ♪ drop it i drop it in drop it drop i drop it in ♪ >> obviously everyone is going to watch "sing 2" for christmas. how do you guys plan on celebrating christmas this year >> i'm just going to eat a lot of food. i feel like, cause you know, you know what they say, if you can't lick the spoon, just eat the bowl [ ding ] >> that's right. [ applause ] >> which of the following is not a marsupial? kangaroo, koala or platypus?

>> koala >> platypus have no pouches. they're the only egg laying mammal >> pouches, eggs, grape nuts, go nuts. [ ding ] yeah [ applause ] >> i think it's also a movie about -- about overcoming your own personal obstacles and i mean, even the pringles guy gets lonely in january lonely in january. [ laughter and applause [ ding ] >> how many "sing" stories do you want to tell like have you thought of what you would write for "sing 3" or "sing 4" >> it could be a "sing 3", "sing 4", "sing 5", "sing 6", "sing 7", "sing 8", yeah "sing 9", "sing 10, sing 11. >> it'd be like the kidz bop version of movies. >> yeah. you skip 13, because, you know >> yeah, you can never do that >> bad vibes [ ding ] [ applause ] but no, i think otherwise, you keep going forever >> so this is obviously during, like filming during the -- or did you guys get to get together at any point? >> they're grape as the t the tiger says.

[ ding ] [ laughter and applause they're grape! >> the third of the fun of show business and the hard part is, you know, you get ready and then there's someone who can tell you no. and it's deflating you know it's never a great idea to microwave a balloon. [ ding ] [ laughter and applause and i think that's the beauty of the cast of characters. is they don't stop >> in the film, buster moon has to tell a little white lie i'm curious to know if you've ever had to exaggerate a a special skill to either land a role or get ahead. >> i never will tell a white lie. and that's something i learned when i once put a balloon inside of a microwave and it's never a good idea to put a balloon in a micr and that's something i learned when i once put a balloon inside of a microwave and it's never a good idea to put a a balloon in a microwave [ ding ] [ laughter and applause i just have one last thing to say. [ speaking foreign language [ ding ] [ laughter and applause and that's something that is really important to remember >> thank you for sharing that too with us. [ cheers and applause >> jimmy: that's what i'm talking -- come on, buddy. thank you to the cast of "sing 2. we have a great show give it up for the roots, ladies and gentlemen [ cheers and applause

♪ ♪ [ cheers and applause >> jimmy: thank you, roots what a show we have for you tonight. she stars in giant, new animated movie "sing 2," which opens in theaters december 22nd scarlett johansson is joining us tonight [ cheers and applause plus, you know him from "saturday night live," which is all new this week. it's the holiday show, with host paul rudd and musical guest charli xcx bowen yang is here [ cheers and applause crushing right now, man. he's crushing it and singing a tribute to her dad chris cornell, making her tv debut with us tonight, we have music from toni cornell [ cheers and applause that will be nice.

guys, we have exactly two shows left before we go on christmas break. which means it's time for the beloved "tonight show" tradition, time for "12 days of christmas sweaters." here we go [ cheers and applause ♪ 12 days o christmas sweaters 2 days left ♪ >> jimmy: that's right every show between now and christmas, we'll be giving one lucky audience member an absurdly cool christmas sweater from the "countdown to christmas cabinet. now. [ cheers and applause since there are two shows left, let's open door number two [ drum roll where is door number two whenever you're ready. yeah, santa. [ cheers and applause ♪ look at that that's a lot of sweater right there. oh, it's gorgeous. look at that turn it around oh, look at that [ cheers and applause that's high quality, right there. now let's see who's gonna go home with tonight's sweater.

everybody look at your seat number and if i call your number, come on down. quest, can i get a drum roll, please [ drum roll who wants a sweater? it's a good one. [ cheers and applause 232. ♪ [ cheers and applause come on down come on down well, hello! well, hello! welcome. what is your name and where are you from >> abby lane from nashville, tennessee. >> jimmy: from nashville, tennessee. [ cheers and applause we love nashville. well, sometimes it gets cool, it gets cozy up there in nashville. >> sure. >> jimmy: would you like to try this on for the audience >> absolutely. >> jimmy: just so everyone can see it, how beautiful it looks [ applause ] i think it's perfect no one will have this in nashville. [ light laughter ] no, no, no probably any state you go to they won't have it oh oh, wow. look at it [ cheers and applause

that is -- look at that. you look gorgeous. oh, oh my -- yes oh my goodness [ cheers and applause fantastic! thank you so much. congrats you are a winner [ cheers and applause stick around when we come back, we're listening to my latest "do not play list. come on back, it's good. [ cheers and applause ♪ and the largest corporate donor to the aspca and national park foundation. get a new subaru during the share the love event and subaru will donate two hundred and fifty dollars to charity. tums vs. mozzarella stick when heartburn hits, fight back fast with tums chewy bites. fast heartburn relief in every bite.

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I think she’s going to fit right in here.

Mather's involvement in the trials extended beyond his writing; he actively participated in the court proceedings and even served as a religious advisor to the judges. Although Mather initially believed in the legitimacy of the trials, he later expressed some doubt and urged caution in the use of spectral evidence. However, his influence had already played a significant role in perpetuating the hysteria and ensuring the widespread convictions. The Salem witch trials were a dark chapter in American history, and Cotton Mather's involvement in the events has left a lasting impact. While his intentions may have been rooted in a genuine belief in witchcraft, his fervent support of the trials and his influence on the court proceedings contributed to the loss of innocent lives and the tarnishing of the community's reputation. The trials serve as a cautionary tale of the dangers of unchecked religious zeal and the importance of critical thinking and fairness in the pursuit of justice..

Reviews for "The Clergy's Role in the Salem Witch Hunt: Analyzing Cotton Mather's Involvement"

1. Emily - 1/5 stars - This book was a huge disappointment. I was expecting an in-depth exploration of Cotton Mather's role in the Salem witch trials, but instead, I got a superficial account that barely scratched the surface. The writing was dull and lacked any real analysis or critical thinking. I was hoping for a balanced examination of the events, but it was clear that the author had a biased perspective. Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a comprehensive understanding of the Salem witch trials or Cotton Mather's involvement.

2. John - 2/5 stars - While this book provided some information about Cotton Mather and the witch trials during the Salem witch hunt, it failed to engage and captivate me as a reader. The writing style was dry and academic, making it difficult to stay invested in the content. Additionally, the book lacked sufficient depth and analysis, leaving me with many unanswered questions. I was left feeling unfulfilled and unsatisfied with the level of research and storytelling. Overall, I believe there are better books out there for those interested in this topic.

3. Sarah - 1/5 stars - As someone who has extensively studied the Salem witch trials, I found this book to be disappointingly basic. It only touched on the surface-level details of Cotton Mather's involvement and failed to provide any new insights or perspectives. The author seemed more focused on regurgitating commonly known information rather than offering any original analysis. Furthermore, the writing style was tedious and lacked any flair or creativity. Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone seeking a comprehensive understanding of Cotton Mather's role in the Salem witch trials.

The Witch Trials in Salem: How Cotton Mather Became an Accomplice