Governing the Tongue : The Politics of Speech in Early New England

Governing the Tongue explains why the spoken word assumed such importance in the culture of early New England. In a work that is at once historical, socio-cultural, and linguistic, Jane Kamensky explores the little-known words of unsung individuals, and reconsiders such famous Puritan events as the banishment of Anne Hutchinson and the Salem witch trials, to expose the ever-present fear of what the Puritans called "sins of the tongue." But even while dangerous or deviant speech was restricted, as Kamensky illustrates here, godly speech was continuously praised and promoted. Congregations were told that one should lift one's voice "like a trumpet" to God and "cry out and cease not." By placing speech at the heart of New England's early history, Kamensky develops new ideas about the complex relationship between speech and power in both Puritan New England and, by extension, our world today. Colonial New Englanders would have found our modern notions of free speech very strange indeed. Children today shrug off harsh words by chanting "sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me," but in the seventeenth century people felt differently. "A soft tongue breaketh the bone," they often said. Governing the Tongue explains why the spoken word assumed such importance in the culture of early New England. Author Jane Kamensky re-examines such famous Puritan events as the Salem witch trials and the banishment of Anne Hutchinson to expose the ever-present fear of what the puritans called "sins of the tongue." But even while dangerous or deviant speech was restricted, Kamensky points out, godly speech was continuously praised and promoted. Congregations were told that one should ones voice "like a trumpet" to God and "cry out and cease not." By placing speech at the heart of familiar stories of Puritan New England, Kamensky develops new ideas about the relationship between speech and power both in Puritan New England and, by extension, in our world today Governing the Tongue explains why the spoken word assumed such importance in the culture of early New England. Author Jane Kamensky re-examines such famous events as the Salem witch trials and the banishment of Anne Hutchinson - as well as the little-known words of unsung individuals - to expose the ever-present fear of what the Puritans called "sins of the tongue." But if New Englanders despised some kinds of speech, they cherished others. While they were enjoined to "govern" their tongues in daily life, laypeople were also told to lift up their voices "like a trumpet" when speaking to or of God. By placing speech at the heart of New England's early history, Kamensky develops new ideas about the relationship between language and power both in that place and time and, by extension, in our world today. Contents......Page 12 Introduction......Page 16 ONE: The Sweetest Meat, the Bitterest Poison......Page 30 TWO: A Most Unquiet Hiding Place......Page 56 THREE: The Misgovernment of Woman's Tongue......Page 84 FOUR: "Publick Fathers" and Cursing Sons......Page 112 FIVE: Saying and Unsaying......Page 140 SIX: The Tongue Is a Witch......Page 163 Epilogue......Page 194 APPENDIX: Litigation over Speech in Massachusetts, 1630–1692......Page 208 Notes......Page 216 B......Page 294 C......Page 295 F......Page 296 H......Page 297 L......Page 298 N......Page 299 P......Page 300 R......Page 301 S......Page 302 W......Page 303 Y......Page 304 Explaining why the spoken word assumed such importance in the culture of early New England, the author re-examines such famous Puritan events as the Salem witch trials and the banishment of Anne Hutchinson to expose the ever-present fear of what the puritans called "sins of the tongue." Its author claimed that the story was as old as history, if not as old as speech itself. Jane Kamensky. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.