The Salem Witch Trials Podcast
The Salem Witch Trials Podcast takes a fast-paced and episodic examination of the witch hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The brief yet insightful episodes harness the knowledge of experts to help illuminate both the chronology of events as well the deeper context surrounding the witch crisis, giving listeners a better understanding of this fascinating and tragic event in early American history.
Episodes
![The Twisted Tale of John Willard](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/17225070/The_Salem_Witch_Trials_Podcast_-_30006zp7f_300x300.jpeg)
Tuesday Jul 16, 2024
The Twisted Tale of John Willard
Tuesday Jul 16, 2024
Tuesday Jul 16, 2024
John Willard was both an outsider and a bit of a hustler, looking to earn wealth through land speculation. These qualities didn’t serve him well when the witch hysteria struck Salem in 1692 and John Willard found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Preorder Greg Houle's book, The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter. and TikTok
![Myths and Realities](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/17225070/The_Salem_Witch_Trials_Podcast_-_30006zp7f_300x300.jpeg)
Monday Jul 01, 2024
Myths and Realities
Monday Jul 01, 2024
Monday Jul 01, 2024
In many ways, the Salem witch trials have taken on a life of their own over the last three centuries. In this episode, we’re joined by John Howard Smith, professor of history at Texas A&M University - Commerce, who helps us sort through the myths and realities of the witch crisis.
Prof. Smith’s most recent book is A Dream of the Judgment Day: American Millennialism and Apocalypticism, 1620-1890
He is currently finishing up the drafting of his new book, Heathens and Other Adversaries against Us: Religion, War, and Racial Identity in Colonial New England.
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter. and TikTok
Learn about Greg Houle's forthcoming book, The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials.
![Beyond the Puritans](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/17225070/The_Salem_Witch_Trials_Podcast_-_30006zp7f_300x300.jpeg)
Monday Jun 17, 2024
Beyond the Puritans
Monday Jun 17, 2024
Monday Jun 17, 2024
We explore the myth of religious freedom in early American history, addressing the intolerance of the Puritans and the challenges faced by other religious groups. And we see how these aspects begin to evolve following the witch crisis.
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter. and TikTok
Learn about Greg Houle's forthcoming book, The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials.
![The Vilification of Cotton Mather](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/17225070/The_Salem_Witch_Trials_Podcast_-_30006zp7f_300x300.jpeg)
Monday Jun 03, 2024
The Vilification of Cotton Mather
Monday Jun 03, 2024
Monday Jun 03, 2024
Cotton Mather was a third generation minister born into Puritan royalty, a nepo baby long before anyone had ever used the term. But his involvement in the Salem witch trials — and defense of the trials afterward — led to his eventual vilification. We’re joined by Professor Rick Kennedy who helps us sort through Mather’s complex role in Puritan New England.
Learn about Rick Kennedy
Learn about Rick Kennedy’s book The First American Evangelical: A Short Life of Cotton Mather
Rick Kennedy’s latest book is Winds of Santa Ana: Pilgrim Stories of the California Bight
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter. and TikTok
Learn about Greg Houle's forthcoming book, The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials
![Mary and Candy Emerge from the Shadows](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/17225070/The_Salem_Witch_Trials_Podcast_-_30006zp7f_300x300.jpeg)
Thursday May 16, 2024
Mary and Candy Emerge from the Shadows
Thursday May 16, 2024
Thursday May 16, 2024
We often think of the population of seventeenth-century New England as homogenous—made up entirely of Anglo-Puritans and the natives who had been living in America for centuries. Yet there were others in New England as well, including a very small, yet significant minority of enslaved Black residents. In this episode, we tell the story of two of them, Mary and Candy, who got caught up in the witch crisis.We are grateful to Jonah Hoffmann and the Salem Witch Museum for this blog post, which proved valuable for producing this episode.
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter. and TikTok
Learn about Greg Houle's forthcoming book, The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials