Reference Sources

The Salem Witch Trials, which took place in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693, have become indicative of mass hysteria, religious extremism, and false accusations occurring outside the fair and just rule of law. But what may not be as commonly known is that they were part of a wider phenomenon at the time - a fear and prosecution of witchcraft stemming back to Europe in the 1400s that led to the deaths of upwards of 60,000 people, most of them women. In Europe, these witch-hunts were notably severe in the Holy Roman Empire, and reached a peak between 1560 and 1630, also occurring in Scotland and England, as well as other European nations to varying degrees. As the fervor in Europe began to wane in the latter half of the 17th century, the sentiment continued in the fringes and made its way to the New World, with the earliest documented execution for witchcraft occurring in Connecticut in 1647. Increasingly fearful and vitriolic rhetoric, publications attempting to prove the existence of witches and demons, and growing mass hysteria led to the dramatic and deadly events in Salem, in which more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft and more than 20 were put to death. This volume explores the development of witch-hunts in the New World, from early incidents in Connecticut to the major events in Salem, as well as precedents in Europe, and later cultural reverberations such as hysteria over perceived Satanic ritual abuse in the 1980s. Documents examined include historical accounts, book excerpts, court cases, religious doctrines, petitions, and more.

"Legendary battles between gods and gods, between gods and humans, between humans and fabled beasts, and between humans and humans have fascinated readers for centuries. Salem Presss latest entry in the Critical Survey of Mythology and Folklore series, Deadly Battles & Warring Enemies, focuses on famous clashes and renowned heroes and heroines in folklore and mythology. These struggles chronicles suffering, bravery, and patriotism, as well as indifference, cowardice, and duplicity. People throughout the ages have often compared these mythological wars to the real ones they have been forced to live through. Readers will find, in the twelve sections of these two volumes, well-known battle myths from Greece, ancient Rome, and Northern and Celtic Europe as well as myths from sub-Saharan Africa, Native North America, East Asia, the Near East, Oceana [sic], (particularly Hawaii), India, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe. Coverage of female warriors from around the world highlights the role women have played in mythological battles throughout history. While many standard stories have been included, this volume also contains roughly 130 myths about wars and battles that are less widely known. Each section contains an overview of a regions religious practices, literature, and culture followed by essays that discuss selected stories or deities related to battle, for a total of more than 400 articles, including 100+ new essays."--from Publishers Note (page xi).

It remains a disconcerting fact that much of the world's history has been determined by autocrats and dictators-by rulers who gained and retained power with an iron fist and a ruthless disregard for the wishes of their people, and the views of the international community. Most people could readily list some of the world's most infamous dictators, particularly those of the twentieth century: Adolf, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, and Pol Pot. These volumes provide the reader with a more comprehensive survey of the men-mostly men, but a handful of women as well-who ruled their people with harsh, autocratic methods. Entries document the lives and impact of numerous figures whose very names often inspired fear among their opponents and even among those who professed to support them: Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Buonaparte, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Idi Amin, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un, Saddam Hussein, Jean-Claude Duvalier, Vladimir Putin. Following the popular Great Lives from History format, each essay begins with a brief synopsis explaining the individual's historical or social importance.

Also known as the Great Northward Migration and the Black Migration, this movement of more than six million African Americans from American's rural southern regions to its urban northern regions occurred over more than 50 years, from 1916 to 1970. Some historians separate this great move into two periods - the first from 1916 to 1940, during which 1.6 million people moved from the rural south to the industrial north, and the second following the Great Depression, from 1940 to 1970, which saw more than 5 million people, many with urban skills, move north and west. Two main causes for this massive migration were poor economic conditions and racial segregation and discrimination in Southern states when Jim Crow laws were upheld. The Great Migration was historic for its sheer number, called ""the largest and most rapid internal movements in history."" It also brought historic change to the cities the migrants moved to, where African Americans established influential communities of their own at a time when these cities were already exerting cultural, social, political, and economic influence in the country.

This new, two-volume set will explore the ways in which civil rights have been given, cemented, overturned, or left unrecognized, from the first uprisings to present day 2020. In 2014, as the nation celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the March on Washington, civil rights groups such as Black Lives Matter were organizing. Though our societal rhetoric has shifted, the struggle remains the same. This 2-volume work contains more than 350 in-depth essays that analyze the events that have shaped American attitudes from the start of the civil rights movement into the new millennium, communicating important concepts in a clear, approachable style, with more than 100 photographs. This is an essential text for any scholar interested in the evolution of activism.

Presents a two volume set that is devoted to American history, and the crucial events that shaped the country's founding and growth, including 150 essays on the nation's earliest days, from Europeans' discovery of North America through to the start of the American Revolution.