Salem Witch Judge - by Eve Laplante (Paperback)

About the Book

Opening a window into daily life in Colonial America, and written by one of his descendants, this compelling biography explores the life of Samuel Sewall, the only Salem witch trial judge to publicly repent for sending innocent people to be hanged.

From the Back Cover

In 1692 Puritan Samuel Sewall sent twenty people to their deaths on trumped-up witchcraft charges. The nefarious witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts represent a low point of American history, made famous in works by Longfellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne (himself a descendant of one of the judges), and Arthur Miller. The trials might have doomed Sewall to infamy except for a courageous act of contrition now commemorated in a mural that hangs beneath the golden dome of the Massachusetts State House picturing Sewall's public repentance. He was the only Salem witch judge to make amends.

But, remarkably, the judge's story didn't end there. Once he realized his error, Sewall turned his attention to other pressing social issues. Struck by the injustice of the New England slave trade, a commerce in which his own relatives and neighbors were engaged, he authored "The Selling of Joseph," America's first antislavery tract. While his peers viewed Native Americans as savages, Sewall advocated for their essential rights and encouraged their education, even paying for several Indian youths to attend Harvard College. Finally, at a time when women were universally considered inferior to men, Sewall published an essay affirming the fundamental equality of the sexes. The text of that essay, composed at the deathbed of his daughter Hannah, is republished here for the first time.

In Salem Witch Judge, acclaimed biographer Eve LaPlante, Sewall's great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter, draws on family lore, her ancestor's personal diaries, and archival documents to open a window onto life in colonial America, painting a portrait of a man traditionally vilified, but who was in fact an innovator and forefather who came to represent the best of the American spirit.

Review Quotes

"Judge Sewall is one of the great public figures of pre-revolutionary America, and his 'confession' for his part in the Salem witch trials remains a high and all-too-rare example of public contrition. His example is pertinent to our times." - Peter J. Gomes, author of The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind
"Eve LaPlante recounts the life of her ancestor lovingly, but meticulously. In the process, she expertly guides us through the religious life of colonial New England, from well before the 1692 Salem witchcraft episode to long after Samuel Sewall's somber reflections on--and his apology for--his role in that hysteria. LaPlante also reveals the ever enlarging magnanimity of Sewall's spirit, specifically with respect to slaves, Native Americans, and women. His life--and her book--deserve our total and grateful attention." - Edwin S. Gaustad, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Riverside, and author of The Religious History of America
"An incredible look at a man who was a pioneer in the forming of the American consciousness. Eve's view of Samuel's morality is a reminder to modern day America of how this great nation was formed." - Jeremy Sewall, direct descendant of Samuel Sewall and chef/owner of Lineage Restaurant
"LaPlante's splendid biography brings a personal touch to Sewall's story and his efforts to take the difficult but righteous path." - Publishers Weekly
"A gripping story, powerfully told. LaPlante dispels many myths about the Salem witch trials, and her portrayal of the witch judge, Samuel Sewall, is astonishing. His remarkable repentence makes this book a gift to all Americans." - Carol Gilligan, author of In a Different Voice and The Birth of Pleasure
"Like Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's A Midwife's Tale, this biography reads like a detective novel, threading its way through the words and intentions of Samuel Sewall's diary and weaving them into the context and spiritual beliefs of those early times in Massachusetts. Salem Witch Judge is full of rich insights and eminently readable." - Anne D. Emerson, President, The Boston Museum
"The toughest thing in politics is to admit you were wrong and to do something about it. That, remarkably, is what Samuel Sewall did, and in so doing, he fundamentally changed the debate over witchcraft forever. At a time when at least some Americans are arguing that we have to cut back on our civil liberties in the interest of national security, LaPlante's biography of Sewall profiles an early American politician whose example stands out for its courage and its wisdom." - Michael Dukakis, former governor of Massachusetts
"Insightful...a reformative, assenting spin on Salem's hellfire and brimstone history." - Kirkus Reviews
LaPlante's touching biography seems hauntingly timely. Beneath the sensational title is a figure more familiar than we realize. - New York Times Book Review
An intriguing journey into a world as far away as colonial America - and yet as close as the human heart. - Christian Science Monitor