Thomas Brattle

Thomas Brattle (June 20, 1658 – May 18, 1713) was an American merchant who served as treasurer of Harvard College and member of the Royal Society.

[2] As a child, Brattle was exposed to radical forms of the Puritan faith, primarily through his father's participation in the controversial founding of the Third (South) Church, which advocated for ecclesiastical reforms.

After the death of his father, Thomas was appointed administrator of the estate on April 12, 1683, leaving him with a large sum of money and a healthy plot of land.

[7] After his time at the Boston Latin School, Brattle attended Harvard University and received an AB in mathematics and science.

Brattle later travelled abroad and then settled in Boston in 1693, where he pursued a short business career and gave several gifts to Harvard.

[12] Brattle was an accomplished amateur mathematician and astronomer which eventually led him to becoming the unofficial professor of mathematics and astronomy at Harvard.

[9] He was eulogized by the Reverend Benjamin Colman as "worth Christian philosopher, who was also the glory of his country in respect to his excelling knowledge of mathematics".

[1] The letter was circulated widely in Boston at the time, and it continues to be studied for its reasoned attack on the witchcraft trials in Salem.

The "highly literate" and "satirical tone" of the letter was seen as writing beyond its time, leading Perry Miller to call it a "milestone in American literature.

"[18] Brattle denounced the persecution of suspected witches, and his letter revealed a "chink in the armor" of Puritan ideology.

Brattle presents a compelling argument against the legal premises and procedures involved in the afflictions, accusations, and executions, with a particular focus on the invalidity of spectral evidence in proceedings.

[20] After Governor Phips read Brattle's letter, he ordered that the courts could no longer use intangible evidence as a source to convict individuals of witchcraft.

[21] Although it did not make any radical changes from contemporary theological consensus - its foundation did represent the first concrete fragmentation of a previously united New England Congregational Community.

Outside of his involvement in the Salem witch trials, Brattle and his younger brother William provided new radical ideas that the Puritan Church did not agree with.