Witchcraft in Massachusetts (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780788408168)

Nineteen years after the celebrated 1692 witchcraft trials, an act was passed by the General Assembly of Massachusetts, reversing the attainders of the men and women convicted of witchcraft. These two 1884 pamphlets, now combined in one volume, are a thoroughly researched argument against the viewpoint, held by some at that time, that the 1711 act was never really enacted into law. In presenting his rebuttal, the author explains in detail the history of the bill, later the act. The book reads like a meticulous legal argument. Appendices and a new full-name index add to the value of this work.