Cotton Mather (Part 2)

Here it is! The biography on Cotton Mather! (I don't think I did all that great, but what the hey!)

Cotton Mather was a socially and politically influential New England Puritan minister, prolific author, and pamphleteer. He was often remembered for his connection to the Salem Witch trials.

Cotton Mather was born February 12th, 1663 in Boston, Massachusetts, to Increase and Maria Mather. He was named after both grandfathers; Richard Mather and John Cotton. After gaining an education under Ezekiel Cheever (1641-1708), Cotton went to Harvard and graduated at the age of 15. He taught for a time as he studied theology and medicine, then he was elected assistant pastor in his father's church, the North Church of Boston. Later he was left in charge of the largest congregation in New England at the age of twenty-five and ministered to it for the rest of his life.

Mather, a true believer in witchcraft, soon became one of the most influential men in the colonies. He had in 1688 investigated the strange behavior of four children of Boston mason named John Goodwin. After observing the children he concluded that witchcraft was responsible and accused Mary Glover of being a witch. He presented his findings in one of his 450 works, "Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcraft and Possessions." In 1692, when the magistrates appealed to the Boston clergy for advice in regard to the Salem trails, he drafted their reply. He believed that the New World had been the undisturbed realm of the Devil before the settlements were made in Massachusetts. Any visions he saw of himself being promised the Lord's help in the Lord's work was feared to be of diabolic origin and he fasted and prayed to deliver himself from evil enchantment.

Most believe he was a bad influence in the trails. He urged the judges, 3 out of 5 were his friends, to consider spectral evidence, giving it such weight as "it will bear," and to consider the confessions of witches the best evidence of all. More people confessed to being witches as the trials progressed and Mather became convinced that "an Army of Devils is horribly broke in upon the place which is our center." He later gave a sermon waring that the Last Judgment was near, portraying himself and others as leaders in the final charge against the Devil's legions. He witnessed the execution of ex-minister George Burroughs of witchcraft. When Burroughs recited the Lord's Prayer perfectly (which witches weren't supposed to be able to do) and the crowd called for the execution to halt, Mather reminded them that Burroughs had been convicted by a jury. He then wrote "Wonders of the Invisible World," telling of the trails.

After the trails, many people admitted that the trials were wrong and that they, the judges, were in the wrong. Mather and others refused to admit their guilt and were unrepentant. Mather even continued to try to cure people of witchcraft.

In May of 1721, a smallpox epidemic struck and continued through the year. Inoculation was a practice that had been used for sometime in Africa and a slave explained it to Mather. Mather was fascinated by the idea and encouraged physicians to try it without success. Then Mather urged the doctor Zabdiel Boylston to use the procedure on his only son and two slaves. All recovered in about a week.

Controversy arose and the New England Courant Published writers who opposed inoculation. The reason was stated that the Boston population feared that the procedure would spread the disease instead of preventing it. There was such hostility that the select men of the city forbade Mather and Boylston to repeat the experiment.

Cotton Mather lived to be sixty-five years old and died on Febrary 13th, 1728. Of Mather's three wives and fifteen children, only his last wife and two children survived him. Mather was buried on Copp's Hill near Old North Church.

Cotton Mather (Part 1)

I have been assigned in my American History Class to do a presentation on Cotton Mather, who had a very big impact on the Salem Witch Trials where parts of my story take place. With the presentation, I have to do a two-page biography. When I finish I hope to post it here.

writer's block as the artist catches up.

That's right, I have writer's block. But that should be ok for now because Janny needs to draw out the first chapter. I just hope I snap out of this before she gets to chapter four where I'm stuck. :D

The artist is coming!

I may have found an artist for the comic. My great friend, Janny Wright.

Author's note.

This blog is where I can post my story as if it's a website. I thought I might do it as a comic, but lets face it. I'm not that good an artist. (At least for comics.) Hopefully I will have something for readers posted.