Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery

Content warning: This section of the guide discusses torture and anti-Indigenous racism.

The events of Slewfoot take place in the village of Sutton, Connecticut in 1666. Though Sutton is fictional, the social and political life of the village mirrors that of some of the early Connecticut settlements like Windsor and Wethersfield. The Colony of Connecticut was established in 1636 as a Puritan settlement. The religious background of the colony’s first members factored heavily into the creation of the colony as its own political entity. The 1639 Fundamental Orders of Connecticut repeatedly cite Christianity as a driving force behind the order and organization of the colony. The close relationship between Christianity and the government features repeatedly in Slewfoot: Reverend Carter acts as the primary governing figure for Sutton until the magistrate from Hartford is called in. Adherence to the Puritan faith is obligatory in Sutton, and this drives much of Abitha’s internal conflict early in the novel; she found more outlets for exploring alternate faith-practices back in England, and the strictness of Sutton’s religious observance makes her an outsider. Connecticut would not grant its citizens religious freedom until the 18^th century.

Between 1636 and 1638, English colonists and the Indigenous people of the area, the Pequot people, engaged in a conflict that would come to be known as the Pequot War.