SALTONSTALL 2018: Friday, November 2, 2018

SALTONSTALL 2018
Friday, November 2, 2018

Dan Howlett spent many years researching the Salem Witch Trials. Though a Northshore Massachusetts resident, he created a social network analysis for his senior thesis at The George Washington University and presented it as the history department’s first digital humanities thesis. Dan is currently pursuing a Doctoral Degree in History at George Mason University with a focus on early America. He made a presentation on disability during the witch trials to present at the 2019 American Historical Association national meeting. In both projects, he argues about strategic actions taken by individuals to perpetuate accusations of witchcraft. Why did Ann Putnam Jr. target Rebecca Nurse? Why did Thomas Newton decide to start with the trial of Bridget Bishop? Why did Deliverance Hobbes confess and accuse Nurse? There was no conspiracy or elaborate plan, just people intentionally acting towards their own interests in extraordinary circumstances. Through network analysis and a study of disability language, Dan Howlett reveals how those calculated actions were so effective.