salem witch trials

Where is Salem

It is in Massachusetts in the United States of America

Where was the Salem witch trials taken place under

The British colonial Massachusetts, which was a British colony

how was colonial Massachusetts compared to England

It was strictly puritans than in England with the clergy being highly respected

What is the main religion of Massachusetts

Puritanism - a Protestant religion who are really strict

How were Massachusetts views on witch hunts

Like puritans in east Anglican ( England ) carrying out extensive witch hunts, they were mindful of the devil being ever present within the world

How did puritans treat non puritans

They were really harsh on treatment of non puritans, they banished them and imprisoned them, overall viewed with suspicion

Who was the first person to be executed in America for witchcraft under the British colonies

A girl called Alice young in Connecticut 1647

How much people were executed in America before the Salem witch trials

27 people were executed in Connecticut and Massachusetts - many others were whipped, fined snd exiled

With hunts pre 1962: the 1688-9 Boston case, who’s children began to act strangely and how specifically do they act

Four of John Goodwin children began to act as strangely as they were crying out from pains and they were flapping like birds

Who examined these children and what was the conclusion

Cotton Mather examine them and concluded that they have been bewitched

What did Mather do with his findings

He write about Goodwin case in his book called “memorable providence’s relating to witchcraft and possessions - 1689

How much people were accused and how many were executed for allegedly being a witch during the

200 were executed and 20 were killed

Out of all the people executed during Salem witch trials what percentage of those killed were men or women

80 percent were women and 20 percent were men

What was the time period of the salem witch trials

February 1692 - may 1693

How many puritans migrated from England to Massachusetts between 1630-1685

10,000

Did Salem have a strong economy and why was it?

Salem had a strong economy because of the merchant class ( people or businesses that sold goods for profit )

How important was Puritanism in Massachusetts

Puritanism was central to government snd society

taxes were paid to the church, what were those taxes called

tithes

How did puritans treat non puritans

They treated them very harshly and they were banished and imprisoned, overall puritans were very suspicious of them

Why did puritans dislike Charles ii

Because he attempted to assert control and introduce Church of England in Massachusetts

When did King Charles ii die

1685

Who was King Charles ii replaced by

King James ii

Why was Massachusetts forced to join other colonies

To create “dominion of New England”

Who was the governor and governer in chief of the “dominion of New England”

It was governed by king James ii and sir Edmund Andros was governer in chief

Were puritans happy about the “dominion of New England”

No

When was the glorious revolution

1687

How did the glorious revolution start

When king James ii suspended penal laws against catholics through his controversial declaration of indulgence allowing them to worship freely and hold a place in the Government

Who opposed king James ii actions

The Anglican Church and most of parliament

How did king James ii respond to parliament opposition

After parliament tried to bring back laws that blocked catholics from holding place in government positions, after King Charles ii continuously prorogued it he eventually dissolved parliament with intentions to create a new one

How did parliament respond to being dissolved

Parliament were alarmed by his assertion of royal power so they secretly invited William of orange to invade England and bring forces against James

How did James respond to threat of invasion of William of orange

He fled

What was the result of James fleeing

William ruled with his wife Mary ( Protestant daughter of James ii )

What was the impact of the glorious revolution

the 1689 news of the revolution reached the colonist in the dominion of New England snd directly inspired the revolt against sir Edmund andros

Who led the revolution against sir Edmund andros

Increase and cotton Mather who were well known ministers

What happened to sir Edmund andros at the end of the revolt

He was arrested and imprisoned

What did th colonies try to do after andros removal

They tried to revert to their old charter government which granted authority and privileges

Why was Massachusetts hard to govern after andros removal

Because the old charter was gone - creating legal chaos land titles, taxes and governance

Who had given a new charter for Massachusetts bay colony and when

King William of orange in 1601

What were some of the restrictions in the charters from William

• gave governer the ability to block laws

• Crown appointed officials - not elected

What were some of andros policies that contributed to his downfall

• extended Church of England services into puritan churches

• Tax on import and export duties

• Landowner title defunct ( removed )

• Restricted town meetings

• → this combined with the lack of authority after the glorious revolution contributed to his downfall

What were the causes of the accused and killed people in Salem for witchcraft

• fear

• Scapegoated

• Hysteria

• Isolated community

What was the situation of witchcraft in Salem before witch trials

There were no previous cases in Salem compared to other countries - Salem is a case of witchcraft cases going out of control

How many residents were there in Salem village

600 residents

What was Salem village known for

Known for internal disputes, mainly about property, grazing rights and church privileges

Which two families in Salem were having conflict and why

The Putnam and the porter families were prosperous and influential families - the Putnams wanted to sever the village from Salem town establishing its own local government and new worship however porters did not want change

what were families in Salem opinion on feud of both families

They were committed to either one side or another

What did disputes over land became known as

Test of “clan” loyalty

What became the focal point of tension

Church ministry

Who was appointed as minister between 1681-2 and which family appointed them

George Burroughs was appointed by the Putnam family

Who was appointed minister at 1689 and by who

Samuel Parris appointed by Putnam family

Which war left the economy ruined

The first Indian war

What did the population growth result in

A new town being established

What increases the tax burden

The 1680 they asked for military help from England

Why was trade hampered by England and what were the consequences

Because of a series of legislative measures, such as the navigation acts they did this to ensure American colonies serve as source of raw material for Britain - this reduced the amount of money and resources in Salem

How was Salem governed

Salem was governed by a theocracy - god is the supreme ruler snd clergy is involved in day to day running of the state

What did puritans think they were

Gods chosen people - because they purposed themselves with seeking gods approval and the presence of the devil at all juncture of life

How did puritans view scientific revolution

They ignored all scientific revolution and all failures instead blamed on the devil

What gender were the majority of people in Salem who were accused of being witches and why

Female because they are considered inferior in the puritans religion as eve is a symbol of temptation

Is Salem town different to Salem village or the same

Different

What are the characteristics of accusers in Salem village

They were agricultural, staunch puritans

What are the characteristics of Salem town

They have more contact with the outside world, less reliant on agriculture, less driven by religious beliefs and there were many merchants

How did the king William war begin

In 1689, tensions erupted between English colonists in Maine ( America ) and French supported wabanaki native Americans

What happened during the winter period of 1991-2

A stream of refugees fleeing Native American raids bought reports of massacres and prediction of savagery from Maine ( America )

how was the Indian war going

It intensifies

When was the first Indian war and what did it do to towns

1675-1678 and it devastated towns

How many military age men were killed in Salem as a result of the Indian war

1/10 - constant threats

What happened after the overthrown of andros

Colonial defences weakened, fewer troops and colonist regularly killed

How long was the second Indian war

1688-97 and it coincided with the Salem witch trials

How did puritans view native Indians

Indians were devil worshipers who were preventing a godly society from being created - they are subhuman

Why was there paranoia in Salem

They were concerned with gods willingness to allow the devil agents to punish puritans

In February which children began to act strangely in Salem

Betty parris at age 9 who’s father is Samuel parris began to behave oddly as she began to lash out and dive under furniture - her cousin, Abigail who is age 11 also began to experience similar symptoms. They both complained of being pricked by pins

Who reached a conclusion about the case of these girls and what was it

William Griggs who is the local doctor credited the girls illness to demonic possession

What happened to other girls that associated with the girls and what are the names of the girls

They began to develop similar symptoms - Elizabeth Hubbard (17) who was dr Griggs niece and Ann Putnam (11) who was the daughter of sergeant Thomas Putnam

What may have been the causes of those symptoms ( biological )

• psychological hysteria

• Possession neuroses

• Convulsive ergotism

• Asthma attack

Why are modern historians sceptical of biological explanation

Speculation of ergot poisoning can be dismissed as the girls fits were ordered and no one died

What explanation did historians think are more plausible

Jealousy, spite and the need for attention

What was the witch cake

A cake containing the urine of affected girls to be fed to a dog to sniff out the people responsible of afflicting the girls

When was the witch cake created

February 1692

Who came up with the idea of the witch cake and who did she ask help from

Mary Sibley approached John Indian and tituba who were both slaves/servants of the parris house

What was the outcome of the witch cake

The girls conditions worsened

During February 25-29 who accused who of witchcraft

Betty, Abigail, mercy and Ann accused sarah good, Sarah osbourne and tituba of afflicting them

How did the accused fit the conventions of a typical witch at the time

• Sarah good was a beggar

• Sarah osbourne is old

• Tituba was a slave

Who pressed the local Jp for action and which family heavily supported the girls

Thomas Putnam, his brother and his brother in law and when interrogation begun the Putnam heavily supported the girls

Who were the jp involved the investigation and what did they do

Jonathon corwin John Hathorne - they issued warrants for the accused and they arranged inquests

Were the jps from Salem village

No but they had lots of knowledge about Salem and it’s inhabitants so they also knew local disputes and how it is governed

What did Sarah good do

She accused Osborne of afflicting the girls to try defend herself, her actions validated the trials

What did tituba do

She denied the claim, but she gave in, described being approached by a Boston man claiming to be god - jps assume he was the devil. She also confirmed good and osbourne of being witches. She further heightened paranoia by claiming there were more witches in Massachusetts

On 11 march more people were accused, who accused, who were accused and why were they accused

Anne Putnam and Abigail William accused Martha Corey and Rebecca nurse, Martha Corey was skeptical of the girls accusation arousing suspicion. Rebecca nurse family were in a quarrel with the Putnam family

Why did the accusation of Rebecca nurse and Martha Corey trouble people

Because they were upstanding member of society and if they were witches almost anybody can be witches

What was the medieval touch test

Accused would touch the afflicted girls. If fits stopped, they are assumed to be guilty, if shivering continued they were innocent

How powerful were the girls who were accusing people

They became with finders, by may all they had to do was name someone to secure and arrest. They knew false accusations punishable by death

Where did the girls get their evidence

They got their information from the adults around them as to who were held under suspicions or who were social outcasts

What happened to the accused

They were confined in gaols and some began to confess of being in league with the devil

What did Abigail Hobbs confess to doing

She confessed to pinching Putnam and Lewis at the devils command, she eventually became an informer and confirmed that George Burroughs was the leader of the witches coven

Who else confessed

Mary warren and deliverance hobs also confessed. They told jps that there were over 300 witches in Massachusetts. More arrests followed

Who was cotton Mather

He was one of the most influential puritan religious leaders in Massachusetts

What was cotton Mather’s contribution to witchcraft trials

He wrote more than 450 books and pamphlets which included an account of the possession of the Goodwin children. He encouraged judges to continue the work that they had started

What were the court of Oyer and Terminor

A temporary court created in may 1692 by William Phipps ( governor of Massachusetts ). It was set up to convict witches

What was questionable about those courts

They accepted the use of spectral evidence ( witness testimony that a ghost or spirit appeared ) making it very easy for anyone to be accused. Child witnesses also used and they were more accusatory

How many people were charged only on the base of spectral evidence

Of the 156 people imprisoned 79 charged solely on spectral evidence