John Billington: The Mayflower Murderer
John Billington was a Mayflower pilgrim and a signer of the Mayflower Compact who became America’s first murderer after he shot and killed a fellow colonist in 1630. Billington was… Read more »
Tituba: The Slave of Salem
Tituba was a slave who worked for Samuel Parris during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The various documents and books about the Salem Witch Trials over the years often… Read more »
Slavery in Massachusetts
Massachusetts Bay Colony was the first slave-holding colony in New England. The first slaves were brought to the colony in the early 17th century. The exact date slaves first entered… Read more »
Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford
Mayflower pilgrim William Bradford wrote a detailed manuscript describing the pilgrims’ experiences in Holland and in the New World, which is now known as Of Plymouth Plantation. In the manuscript,… Read more »
The Petition to Free Rebecca Nurse
Rebecca Nurse was such a beloved citizen of Salem Village that when she was arrested for witchcraft in March of 1692, thirty-nine Salem residents came to her defense and signed… Read more »