Samuel Sewall

An item at American Writers Museum

Born in England, Samuel Sewall came to America with his parents at age nine, settling in Massachusetts. His engaging and insightful diary-begun when he was a young Harvard graduate-spans 57 years. Some of its entries discuss the Salem witch trials of 1692, which Sewall helped oversee. He later publicly expressed doubt and guilt over the outcome-the only authority to do so.

A pious Puritan, Sewall wrote forward-thinking essays and pamphlets on topics like slavery, Native American relations, and women's issues. The Selling of Joseph (1700) condemns the slave trade, while Talitha Cumi: An Invitation to Women to Look After their Inheritance in the Heavenly Mansions (1725) defends women's natural rights.

AMERICAN VOICES

An exhibit at American Writers Museum

American writing is distinctive, diverse, and comes in many forms from across the nation. The 100 authors featured here represent the evolution of American writing. Learn more about each writer on the timeline by turning the panels below their portraits. Explore centuries of writing by pulling, turning, and touching the interactive elements on the counter.

This is not meant to be a list of the greatest or most influential writers. Instead, we present authors and works as part of the American story as it grows and changes. Taken together, this rich literary heritage reflects America in all of its complexity: its energy, hope, conflict, disillusionment, and creativity.

American Writers Museum