The Salem Witch Trials – COMPLETE

Series of hearings before local magistrates prosecuting alleged witches.

February 1692 - May 1693

- 150 arrested and imprisoned- 29 convicted of witchcraft felony- 19 hanged (14 women and 5 men)- one man crushed to death- 5 died in prison- During the time of King Henry

- Sect of church of England that disagreed with practices: Book of Common Prayer, idolatry and ceremonial rituals

civil and ecclesiastical rule

- extremely challenging hardship- Manifest destiny and divine providence- Would turn the other cheek, believing God would save them in the end.

A model society of how people should live their life.

- Very Structured- Came to Massachussetts to be an example to the rest of the world and escape persecution in England.

- Women were subservient to men and naturally evil. (Eve was the first to eat the apple, and tempted Adam)- Moral society meant everyone behaved morally (including what they wore)- No privacy: moral police and fines, often times turned in my friends, whipped as punishment.

- Valued literacy and reading the Bible for direct interaction with God- Unlike Catholic church which read and taught the Bible to you.- Women could only learn to read the Bible.

- Children followed strict rules, toys and play were considered immature, wanted them to be "mature".- Social order: Men, women, single women, children.

King William's War- 13 years after devastating King Phillip's war- Wampanog Tribe had their lands taken- Constant Native American fights on fringes of frontier.- They associated the Natives with the Devil, "devil's men"- Harsh living conditions and death (smallpox)- Fear of capture

- Salem Village vs. Salem Town (Danvers, Massachussetts)- Parish Pastors: Burroughs vs.

Parris- Personage Compensations- Land disputes (See below)- Putnam and Correy, intruded on land that wasn't theirs.- Movement away from traditional Puritan practices.

- invisible world coexists with the real worlddevils and angels compete for the souls of man- must be on guard at all times- ex: sour milk, sick cattle- Most at risk to "become evil" were young, single women as they might become "married" to the Devil (and they were stupid)- Need to interpret signs to determine if in Devil's grasp

- a magician who willingly and wittingly is in league with the devil; entered covenant with Satan and become a practicer of sorcery.

Rule 1: The free and voluntary confession of a witch.Rule 2: Two trustworthy witnesses of good and honest report that see that someone made league with the devil, or has performed some sort of witchcraft.

- Europe had many witch hunts during the 16th century, killing thousands, predominantly women- Germany was the leader- Practice became more obsolete during the 17th century, so Salem was rareSalem was on a much smaller scale than the rest of Europe

- Reverend Pariss's daughter and niece got sick- Threw things- uttered strange sounds- screamed- crawled under furniture- contorted their bodies- complained of being pricked by pins- no medical explanation- began to afflict other young girls in Salem- Possibly Epilepsy

- revered of Salem Village- attended seminary at Harvard- sugar plantation in Barbados- moved to salem village with slaves and became minister

- Samuel Parris' Babados slave- caretaker for girls and maid for the house- knowledge of voodoo

- Minister and prosecutor of the courts until wife was accused.- Friction: seen as greedy and egotistical; demanded title to parsonage.

- Elixabeth Parris- Abilagil Williams- Ann Putnam, Jr.- Mary Walcott- Elizabeth Hubbard- Sarah Bibber- Elizabeth Booth- Sarah Churchill- Mercy Lewis- Susannah Shelden- Mary Warren

- Tituba: performed voodoo ritual with the girls- Sarah Good: poor beggar who always asked for food and shelter- Sarah Osbourne: Slept with her indentured servant and rarely attended church.

Martha Corey - covenanted church memberRebecca Nurse: covenanted church memberDorothy Good - daughter of Sarah, 4 years oldRachel Clinton - not performing wifely duties to husband- Realized anyone in church could be a witchcaused people to be more critical and watchful

- Putnam family had much property to gain if the Nurses and Coreys lost their land due to witchcraft accusations- Personal vendetta- After April, numerous people were accused- John Proctor and a few others object to proceedings and are arrested for witchcraft- Those accused indict others to save themselves from death- First wave of warrants to testify total 36- A few women stave off death due to pregnancy- Magistrates come from local ocoutnies including:Deputy Governor Thomas DanforthSamuel SewallSamuel AppletonJames RusselIsaac Addington

- Trials from June 2, 1692 - March 1693(brief recess from October to January)- Moved to superior court- all five tried found not guilty but not released until they paid their jail fees- Hangings a form of entertainment

- based on ghostly/supernatural truthconfessions- testimony by witnesses- poppets- palmistry and horoscope books- pots of ointments in homes of accused- "Witch's teats on accused - mole or blemish insensitive to touch, but usually by designs of the court- Cries caused by dog eating a "witch's cake"- Witch's familiar- the touch test

- 80 years old- peine forte et dure - practice not used by British for years (form of torture); "strong and hard pain"; crushed chest with stones- died two days after pressing without entering a plea- refusal to plead, a way to prevent estate

Excommunication - formal expulsion to the Church and refusal to enter Heaven in the afterlifeHanging - public and a form of entertainmentnot all died instantly when they were hanged, so thad to suffocate to death, visual reminder not to perform evil actionsJail and seizure of property - even if not guilty, giving any plea would give grounds for the Crown to seize property that might no the given back later

- Governor William Phips dismantles the court when the general public turns against the trials and there i social turmoil- He might have dismissed it sooner ifs he had more closely taken part in the proceedings

- Thomas Maule: It is better for 100 witches to be alive, than for one innocent person to be killed- Fast day, January 14, 1697- Sewall and Fiske publicly apologize and ask for forgiveness for their actions in the trial- May 1709 - 22, families finally get reversal - Most excommunications reversed by 1712, including Rebecca Nurse and Giles Corey- Not until 1957 were the rest of those wrongfully tried and convicted formally cleared of any charges- 1992 - 300th anniversary: a monument with a bench honoring those executed

- hysteria caused from native american fears- constant feelings of impending doom- fear that the Devil's men were lurking in the forests- Xenophobia: racism toward Spanish Indians and Native Americans- spread of small pox/ diseases- Ergot Poisoning (LSD): fungus affects grains, such as rye, making them turn purple that is confused for large grain- violent muscle spasms- vomiting- delusions- hallucination- crawling sensations on the skin- teenage boredom- no outlet for pleasure - treatment of teen girls as property- inferior status- strict and humorless life- ability to gain power and prestige- jealousy- property feuds- congregation fights- family grudges- personal connection between the accuser and accused- a way to get desires fulfilled and rid the community of those considered unworthy or immoral to create a "city upon a hill"

- 19th century art - Literature- during the romantic era in the American literature, many authors tried to grapple with this dark part of the country's past, notably Nathaniel Hawthorne, the grandson of one of the judges- The Crucible: Arthur Miller commenting on similarity between the House Commuitee on Un-American Activities during the Macarthy Trials- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- Film and Television- Simpsons or Histeria!- Led to a fascination of witches, such as with shows and films like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Charmed, Hocus Pocus