Cotton Mather and the Salem Witch Trials: Separating Fact from Fiction

Cotton Mather is perhaps most famous for his role in the Salem witch trials. He was also the minister at Boston’s North Church (Second Church) and a prolific writer with a transatlantic audience. Mather has often been portrayed as an instigator of the trials and a witch hunter. But what exactly did he do, and why has he been such a polarizing figure? This virtual roundtable discussion featured Salem witch trials historian Marilynne Roach (author of The Salem Witch Trials and Six Women of Salem), Rachel Christ-Doane (Director of Education at the Salem Witch Museum), and Dr. Tricia Peone (Project Director of New England’s Hidden Histories at the Congregational Library & Archives). Their discussion focused on Cotton Mather’s writings about witchcraft, misconceptions about his role in the Salem witch trials, and his legacy today.