In this episode, we are looking at the documentary record of the Salem Witch Trials. This disturbing tale of early America has fascinated generations and become a familiar story to many. But what it was like to witness this history firsthand? We'll take a close look at the story of Rebecca Nurse, a respected woman in her 70s who was accused of witchcraft. Through original petition documents and printed trial records held in the MHS collections, we'll explore Rebecca's individual experience and the role her community played in both persecuting and defending her.

Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode-6

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Episode Special Guest: Elyssa Tardif is the Director of Education at the MHS and an early American literary scholar.

This episode uses materials from: Psychic by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Curious Nature by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Nocturne by Kai Engel (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International)