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American History Mondays with Dr. Richard Bell: Witch-Hunting
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Why did so many seventeenth-century Americans believe that witches walked among them? How could they balance their faith in reason with a belief system that encouraged them to see wondrous signs of God’s love and the Devil’s temptations all around them? How did they respond when they believed the devil’s servants were stalking their own communities?
One response was, of course, the witch-hunt, dozens of which pock-marked the early history of the English colonies in North America. What were the hallmarks of a witch-hunt and why is the outbreak of witch-hunting in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, still so well-known today? Why did that tragic episode in Salem claim so many innocent lives and how have historians tried to explain its peculiar dynamics, impact, and legacy?
Dr. Richard Bell is Professor of History at the University of Maryland. He holds a PhD from Harvard University and has won more than a dozen teaching awards, including the University System of Maryland Board of Regents Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has held major research fellowships at Yale, Cambridge, the Library of Congress and is the recipient of the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship and the National Endowment of the Humanities Public Scholar Award. Professor Bell is author of the new book "Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home," which was shortlisted for the George Washington Prize and the Harriet Tubman Prize.
This conversation is suitable for all ages.
90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.
A most enlightening talk on a very tragic subject! I learned much and Dr. Bell was his most wonderful lecturer - with many questions to make us think!
Outstanding! Dr. Bell’s ability to distill historical research into excellent lectures is wonderful - I am enjoying all the American History Monday talks.
Great subject matter. And Dr. Bell’s interactive approach made it more interesting.
Excellent presentation - not only 'telling the story' but also exploring the 'hows' and 'whys' of a horrifying and very strange episode in history. Good recommendations for further reading.
Another superb seminar with Richard Bell. He never disappoints! He has such command of a tremendous amount of fascinating early American historical information AND presents it in such an enthusiastic manner, I am riveted the entire time. He has a great sense of humor and is so appreciative of his students. What's not to love about this professor?