Judge Sewall's Apology - The Salem Witch Trials and the Forming of an American Conscience

Zusatztext "Both an account of a troubling historical episode and the portrait of a troubled! complex man." Informationen zum Autor Richard Francis is a biographer, historian of American culture, and novelist. He was an American Studies Research Fellow at Harvard, and taught American literature at the universities of Missouri and Manchester. He is nowProfessor of Creative Writing at Bath Spa University in England. Klappentext The Salem witch hunt has entered our vocabulary as the very essence of injustice. Judge Samuel Sewall presided at these trials, passing harsh judgment on the condemned. But five years later, he publicly recanted his guilty verdicts and begged for forgiveness. This extraordinary act was a turning point not only for Sewall but also for America's nascent values and mores. In Judge Sewall's Apology , Richard Francis draws on the judge's own diaries, which enables us to see the early colonists not as grim ideologues, but as flesh-and-blood idealists, striving for a new society while coming to terms with the desires and imperfections of ordinary life. Through this unsung hero of the American conscience -- a Puritan, an antislavery agitator, a defender of Native American rights, and a Utopian theorist -- we are granted a fresh perspective on a familiar drama. Zusammenfassung The Salem witch hunt has entered our vocabulary as the very essence of injustice. Judge Samuel Sewall presided at these trials! passing harsh judgment on the condemned. But five years later! he publicly recanted his guilty verdicts and begged for forgiveness. This extraordinary act was a turning point not only for Sewall but also for America's nascent values and mores. In Judge Sewall's Apology ! Richard Francis draws on the judge's own diaries! which enables us to see the early colonists not as grim ideologues! but as flesh-and-blood idealists! striving for a new society while coming to terms with the desires and imperfections of ordinary life. Through this unsung hero of the American conscience -- a Puritan! an antislavery agitator! a defender of Native American rights! and a Utopian theorist -- we are granted a fresh perspective on a familiar drama. ...

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Richard Francis, Richard Francis
• Editore: Harper Collins Usa
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Tascabile
• Pubblicazione: 01.08.2006
• EAN: 9780007163632
• ISBN: 978-0-00-716363-2
• Pagine: 412
• Dimensioni: 133 mm x 203 mm x 19 mm
• Categorie: Saggistica > Storia > Altro; Scienze sociali, diritto, economia > Diritto > Tematiche generali, enciclopedie; Scienze umane, arte, musica > Storia > Età moderna fino al 1918; USA, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General, Biography: historical, political & military, HISTORY / United States / Colonial Period (1600-1775), LAW / Legal Profession, United States of America, USA, Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700, Biography: historical, political and military, C 1600 To C 1700, Northeastern & North Atlantic States, US Northeast: New England, HISTORY: General, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY: Historical, HISTORY: AMERICAN, HISTORY: United States / Colonial Period (1600-1775), Legal profession / practice of law: general