Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Time: 7:30 pm (EDT) - 9:00 pm (EDT)
Why did so many 17th century Americans believe that witches walked among them? How could they balance their faith in reason with a belief system that encouraged them to see wondrous signs of God’s love and the Devil’s temptations all around them? How did they respond when they believed the devil’s servants were stalking their own communities? One response was, of course, the witch-hunt, dozens of which pock-marked the early history of the English colonies in North America. What were the hall-marks of a witch-hunt and why is the outbreak of witch-hunting in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, still so well-known today? Why did that tragic episode in Salem claim so many innocent lives and how have historians tried to explain its peculiar dynamics, impact, and legacy?
The Historic Annapolis 2025 Virtual Lecture Series is offered free of charge thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor. If you enjoy this program, we hope you will consider becoming a member or making a donation today to support Historic Annapolis and our mission to connect all people with our shared history.
Can’t watch the lecture live? The lecture will be recorded! Please register even if you cannot watch in real time; all attendees will receive a link to the recording of the lecture to watch at their convenience for two weeks. Live closed captioning is available for all lectures.
This lecture will be offered virtually by Zoom. Upon registration, you will be sent the link for the video conference to join on the evening of the lecture. If you do not receive your confirmation email after you register, please check your Spam folder, or email Cara Garside at cara.garside@annapolis.org. To learn more about Zoom and to download the app to your computer, visit the Zoom website.
About the Presenter:
Dr. Richard Bell is Associate Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of the new book Stolen:
Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home. He has won more than a dozen teaching awards, including the University System of Maryland Board of Regents Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest honor for teaching faculty in the Maryland state system. He has held major research fellowships at Yale, Cambridge, and the Library of Congress and is the recipient of the National Endowment of the Humanities Public Scholar award. He serves as a Trustee of the Maryland historical Society, as an elected member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and as a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.