The Witch in Old Connecticut: Righting a Troubled Legacy with Richard Ross

How did 19th century Maryland pro-slavery advocates weaponize witch trial narratives against Connecticut abolitionists? Returning guest Dr. Richard Ross III reveals a fabricated 1848 witch trial story designed to discredit Connecticut's anti-slavery movement following the Amistad U. S. Supreme Court case victory.This conversation explores the intersection of witch trial history and American slavery through the curious case of Juliana Cox, a completely fictional Connecticut witch whose story appeared in Maryland newspapers to embarrass Connecticut abolitionists. We consider how missing colonial documents created space for propaganda, examine the real Connecticut witch trials that were hidden for generations, and discuss how witch trial rhetoric became a political weapon in debates over slavery and abolition.Dr. Ross shares research on how the Wyllys family papers disappeared into private collections, why Connecticut's witch trial history remained largely unknown until the 20th century, and the deliberate creation of a witch trial hoax borrowed from English folklore sources to serve pro-slavery political goals.Connecticut witch trial records and their disappearance into private collectionsThe Amistad trial and Connecticut abolitionist movementFabricated witch trial narratives as political propagandaHow pro-slavery advocates compared abolitionists to Salem witch trial accusersThe real witch trials of colonial Connecticut finally documentedAlice Young: Connecticut's first executed witchExamining bodies for witch marks in colonial New EnglandLiterary and political uses of witch trial rhetoric in 19th century AmericaDr. Richard Ross III is a historian and Professor Emeritus from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he taught a seminar on New England witch trials for over ten years. He is the author of Before Salem: Witch Hunting in the Connecticut River Valley, 1647-1663 and has conducted extensive research on colonial Connecticut witch trials and 19th century American social history.Connecticut witch trials, slavery and witchcraft, Amistad trial, abolition movement, colonial Connecticut, witch trial propaganda, Richard Ross historian, Alice Young witch trial, Connecticut abolitionists, slavery history, colonial New England, witch trial records, 19th century America, anti-slavery movement, political propaganda, witch hunt history, Maryland newspapersThe Thing About Witch Hunts explores historical witch trials and contemporary witch persecution worldwide. Hosted by End Witch Hunts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Sarah Jack.LinksConnecticutwitchtrials.orgBuy the Book: Before Salem: Witch Hunting in the Connecticut River Valley 1647-1663 Buy the Book: Contagion in Prussia, 1831 Buy the Book: American Body Snatchers End Witch Hunts NonprofitSalem Witch Trials Daily Program