Devil's Disciples
The Devil's Disciples Hoffer, Peter Charles (Baltimore: The John Hopkins University King James II's rise to power in the 1680s became an extremely turbulent time for all under his reign. This was primary due to Catholic versus Protestant relations. Unlike his brother Charles II, James II openly professed his Catholic beliefs and granted religious freedom to all. Aside from religious toleration, his appointing of Catholics to high government posts enraged the Protestant colonialists even more. One individual was Governor Andros. He wrongfully imposed taxes, took way self-governing systems, ended jury trials, and oppressed Puritan beliefs. Peter Hoffer gives the reader an account of the Salem witch trials through the story of the Barbadian minister Parris, his daughter Betty, and his slav
Although somewhat educated, they attribute any discrepancies as the Devil's work. After James II leaves the throne, Governor Andros is murdered. One might ask why the Puritans, a religious sect thought to be quite holy, should have the most witchery. This helps the reader set apart Parris and his family and take a look at the rest of the Puritan village as a whole. Each Puritan village is a highly structured and disciplined society. It provides the reader with an extensive background of all major characters before they lived in Salem Town. Hoffer's book was a complete and unbiased account of the Salem witch trials. The evasive Utopia, lost governor, struggling economy, cold winters, and deadly sicknesses that plague Salem Town put the residences faith to a test. However, through a town feud between two powerful Puritan families, Parris' position soon becomes permanent. The goal of each of these settlements is to achieve Utopia or something close to it. This in not to say the belief in witches came about during this time. Although no one ever saw a real witch gathering, this superstition was a mainstream belief. Through this book I have changed my opinion of many early American settlers. The Puritans ruthlessness and hypocrisy can be read in The Devil's Disciples.
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