The Salem Witch Trials (infographic)

by Emerson "Tad" Baker

Emerson "Tad" Baker is a professor of History and former dean of the Graduate School at Salem State University. He is the award-winning author of many works on the history and archaeology of early New England, including "The Devil of Great Island: Witchcraft and Conflict in Early New England." He has served as an advisor for PBS-TV’s American Experience and Colonial House. His new book is "A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience." Follow him on Twitter at @EmersonWBaker. This post originally appeared on the OUPBlog.

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692-1693 were by far the largest and most lethal outbreak of witchcraft hysteria in American history. Yet Salem was just one of many incidents during the Great Age of Witch Hunts which took place throughout Europe and her colonies over many centuries. Indeed, by European standards, Salem was not even a large outbreak. But what exactly were the factors that made Salem stand out?

In A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience, Emerson Baker places the Salem trials in their broader context and reveals why it has become an enduring legacy. He explains why the Salem crisis marked a turning point in colonial history from Puritan communalism to Yankee independence, from faith in collective conscience to skepticism toward moral governance. Below is an infographic detailing some of the numbers involved in Salem and other witch hunts.

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Read entire article at Oxford University Press Blog