Date of Award
Spring 2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Department
History
Director of Thesis
Andrew Berns
Second Reader
Nichole Maskiell
Abstract
This project explores the New English Puritan ideology of providentialism from the first settlement of New England in 1620 to the Salem Village witch trials in 1692. During this period New England watched its motherland experience civil war, the overthrow of the monarchy, the installation of a commonwealth, the failure of the Puritan Reformation, the restoration of the monarchy, and the Glorious Revolution. These events influenced the way New Englanders saw England’s relationship with God as well as the meaning behind their providential purpose by allowing them to believe God had turned his wrath on England, so the colonists needed to focus on themselves instead of England. At the same time as many of these events, the colonists witnessed disease ravaging Indigenous populations, depletion of New England’s resources, recurring war with Indigenous peoples of the area, and a mass outbreak of witchcraft accusations. The colonists interpreted these events as God’s judgment or warning upon them that they needed to repent of their sins and reform their colony if they wanted to maintain their covenantal relationship with him. They began to wonder if their purpose was to reform for their own sake rather than to reform for the sake of the rest of the world. Their view that they needed to undergo mass reformation and repentance influenced how the Salem Village witch trials were handled because it raised the stakes for tolerating sin. Every sin that was tolerated further separated them from God and put their covenantal relationship at risk. The imprisonment and execution of many accused witches were directly influenced by the Puritan need to cleanse their community of sin to quell the judgment of God. The Puritan idea of their providential mission led to an exceptional view of themselves. Studying this view provides insights into how exceptionalism impacts the mindsets of communities today.
First Page
1
Last Page
58
Recommended Citation
Vess, Gracie L., "A Covenant People: Providentialism in Seventeenth-Century New England and its Impact on the Development of the Salem Witch Trials" (2024). Senior Theses. 719.
https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/senior_theses/719
Rights
© 2024, Gracie L. Vess
