Salem Witch Trials

Many years later, the state of Massachusetts restored the good names of people who had been hanged and those who had been accused. When did this happen?

1711

When did the witch trials happen?

1692

Who were the first girls involved?

Elizabeth Paris and Abigail Williams

What did they do that was so strange?

They ran on all fours like a dog, barked, saw things that weren't there, had a fever

What did the doctor and other people assume about the girls' "sickness"?

- the sickness must be supernatural

- probably caused by witchcraft.

NOTE: Many people at that time believed in witches; they thought the devil gave witches the power to harm people. The girls were acting just like victims of woman suspected of witchcraft.

Tituba, Sarah Goode, and Sarah Osborne were arrested and brought to trial. What happened at the trial?

- they were asked many questions

- Elizabeth Paris and Abigail Williams were brought in and immediately started to act strangely; this was seen as proof that the three were witches and caused the strange behavior

- other people testified against the three women

- the girls denied everything

What did Tituba do that caused the three women to remain in jail?

- confessed to witchcraft

- said she signed the devil's book

- said she, Sarah Goode, and Sarah Osborne flew around on poles

What was the punishment for those found guilty of witchcraft?

Hanging

Why did some people accuse other people of witchcraft, causing so many to be accused?

their death could be postponed for a while

What changed in the fall of 1692 that helped put an end to the witch trials?

1. Ministers spoke out against the trials saying:

- spectral evidence should not be allowed

- so many people in one town couldn't be witches

2. Governor Phipps banned spectral evidence and stopped the court

- without spectral evidence, only 3 of 56 were found

guilty

- the others were freed

About how many years passed before the state of Massachusetts officially apologized for the witch trials?

250

Describe the environment in Salem in 1692

1. Religious conflicts - the last minister had been kicked out

2. Church & government were not separate and both told each other what to do

3. Small-town atmosphere - gossip spreads quickly

4. Poorer people in Salem Village were jealous of richer people in Salem Town

5. People did not understand things scientifically, so they explained many things through the spiritual world

Define "specter"

the ghost or spirit of a witch

Define "hysteria"

exaggerated emotion; when a small feeling (like fear) grows into something uncontrollable

Define "the accused"

people who were said to practice witchcraft (sending their spirits out to do evil things)

Define "the afflicted"

people the witches sent their spirits to, such as Elizabeth Paris and Abigail Williams

What was the Court of Oyer and Terminar?

- the court of "hearing" and "deciding"

- the first court that held the witch trials

Who was Bridget Bishop

the first woman to be hanged as a witch (June 1692)

Who was Giles Corey

a man who was pressed to death under heavy stones; he was not hanged because he refused to plead "guilty" or "not guilty"

How many people were put to death in the trials?

- 19 hanged

- 1 pressed to death (Giles Corey_

Where did the witch trials happen?

Salem Village, now called Danvers, MA

Who did the girls name as the "witches" who caused their strange behavior?

-Tituba, the Paris family's slave from the Caribbean, who knew voodoo (a type of magic)

-Sarah Goode

-Sarah Osborne

Many more men and women were accused of witchcraft. Name two who were "surprising" choices.

- Dorcas Goode (4-5 year old daughter of Sarah Goode) who was put in jail for 8 months and saw her mother hanged

- the former minister(前部长) of Salem Village (thought to be the leader of all the witches)

In May, 1692, new court trials( Court of Oyer) and Terminar began because so many people had been accused. What unusual kind of evidence did the court allow in these trials?

spectral(dreams and visions) evidence - people could tell what they saw in dreams and visions

What is ergot poisoning?

- a fungus that causes spasms and hallucinations (seeing things that aren't there)

- the fungus got into the grain and may have been eaten by Elizabeth and Abigail

What are some theories about the cause of the strange behavior in the afflicted girls?

- Ergot poisoning (eating spoiled grain)

- Religious arguments (struggle between church-going people and those who didn't go to church)

- Poor farmers fighting against rich people (the accused were often poor)

- Cold weather (people fall on hard times, lose crops; people believe witches can control weather)

- Elizabeth & Abigail really were witches and practiced black magic

- Mass hysteria (large groups of people acting strangely)

Define "charter"

an agreement between a colony and Great Britain that tole the people in the colony how to govern