Father and Son Relationships in Early Colonial America:
A Case Study of Increase and Cotton Mather
Abstract:
Throughout history, good fathers have always done their best to raise successful sons who succeed in life, and receive everything their father had and more. In the Puritan colonies, fathers raised their sons by the word of God, as found in The Bible. One of the most interesting father and son relationships was that between Increase Mather and his son Cotton. A highly-respected Puritan Minister, Increase gave Cotton everything he could so that he could be just as successful. When the Salem Witch Trials occurred, Cotton saw this as his opportunity to become famous and ran a muck of the trials. Increase worried that by stepping in he would embarrass his son, but after twenty people were executed for their alleged involvement with witchcraft, Increase overruled his son and put an end to the trials. The relationship between Increase and Cotton remained a strained one, with Cotton trying to become as famous as his father, but never being able to.