Presented by the Salem Award Foundation for Human Rights and Social Justice & The Salem Athenæum

In 1692, Samuel Sewall sat on the court that condemned to death more than 30 people accused of practicing witchcraft – including two of his own friends. Twenty were executed before a public outcry led the governor to halt the killings. Sewall is the subject of a biography by Eve LaPlante, Salem Witch Judge: The Life and Repentance of Samuel Sewall, by Eve LaPlante. LaPlante spoke about the book at the Salem Athenaeum.

Sewall struggled internally for years before publicly assuming "the blame and shame" for the wrongful convictions and deaths. Through his long repentance Sewall became America’s most surprising moral hero.

This program was presented by the Salem Athenaeum in collaboration with the Salem Award Foundation for Human Rights and Social Justice.