Topic 5 - Salem Witch trials in context

When was the salem witch trial?

1692

How many accusations were there in the Salem witch trial and how many deaths?

200 accusations and 20 deaths

What is the religious long-term context to the Salem witchtrial?

colonies in new england had been founded by puritans in the early 1600s who had left england as they beleived the anglican church was impure and disliked charles I for his persecution - masschuetas was founded as a theocracy and conceived as the city upon the hill a place of puritan godly living

what did puritans refer to the colony of masscheutas as?

the city upon the hill - the place of puritan godly living and redemption

What war was there in New England in the 1670s (long term context)

1675, King phillips war between colonists and various native american tribes and it was hugely destructue with nearly half of all towns in new england a part of the war

which native american tribe controleld large areas of Maine?

the wabanaki

how did [puritans interpret the results of King philips war in 1675?

after and during the war, tensions between NA rose and by 1678 nearly 1/10th of male colonists were killed and the economy had come to a standstill - this resulted in puritans arguing that it was a sign from God of discontentment

did most puritans in Salem accept witchcraft? What law is a reflection of this?

almost all puritans accepted witchcraft and ministers argued that to deny witchcraft was to deny god - in 1641 a witchcraft law was introduced stating that witches would be put to death

before the salem witch-hunt, how many witches had been executed?

27 hanged with more being exiled, whipped or fined

What were the local politics of Salem town and Salem village (point of tension)

salem village had originally been a part of salem town - salem town was merchant based meaning it was wealthier and salem village was agricultural which meant it was necessary to the power of the town - the conflict between the communities came from their competition and governing views

what was the greatest tension in local politics in Salem village?

the minister of the church - salem village had three ministers over a 10 year period (burroughs, lawson, Parris) and all three decisivley split the village

How did Parris as church minister cause tensions in the village?

he preached against his opponents, increased divisions and alienated many village inhabitants and by 1692 half of the villagers were refusing to pay his salary

by 1692, what was the religious concern in Salem?

many believed that their city on the hill was endangered and this was in part due to the 1691 charter that gave religious freedom to all but threatened puritan theocracy in Massachusetts where baptists Quakers and even Anglicans had been denied rights

when did tensions between the english colonists in Maine and the french supported Wabanaki errupt?

1689

what happened between the English and wabanaki in 1689?

king williams war - twons were destroyed and maine colonists fled to massachuetas and by 1691 the wabanaki were only 50 miles from poorly protected salem

what was the glorious revolution, when was it and what did it result in?

1688, james II exiled in favour of protestant dutch william and mary means that governer of New england, Andros, was outsetd and there was a power vaccum in New England

How did the english parliament create tensions in Salem?

They began to attempt to centralise control over shipping and trade led to greater economic struggles in Massachusetts

Where had high profile trials occured in New England before the Salem witchcraft trials?

Boston 1688 89 witchcraft cases occured on the basis of spectral evidence

In summary, what are the main problems in Massachusetts that mean a witch-hunt occurs?

1. Puritan fear of sin and danger to the city upon the hill
2. Power vacuum left by Andros in 1688 who had already been unpopular for heavy taxation when he was ousted from power by Bradstreet and Danforth
3. The conflict between colonists and french supported wabanaki tribe in Maine
4. The local politics conflict between the town and village of Salem
5. Parris unpopularity and religious tension

What is spectral evidence?

Testimony that a witches spirit was being projected onto a victim

What forms could spectral evidence take?

Vomiting pins, falling down on the floor, fits and writhing, hysterical crying and visions

Who was Samuel Parris?

The devisive minister of slate village who had taken ministry in 1689 and made numerous enemies due to his creation of factions in Salem by his unpopularity and his sermons he used to attack his enemies

Who was Betty Parris?

9 year old daughter of the minister Samuel Parris

Who was Abigail Williams?

Cousin of Betty Parris. 11 year old niece of Reverend Samuel Parris.

Who was Ann Putnam Jr?

13 year old daughter of Thomas Putnam who was an influential and rich man in Salem and leader of the faction of villagers who wanted to break away from the town of Salem and create their own religious governance . She was friends with Parris and Williams

Who was Mercy Lewis?

17 and the servant of the put man family she was another victim of the king williams war in Maine where her family had been murdered and she had been a possible victim to sexual abuse

Who was Mary Warren?

She was the servant in the Proctor household under John proctor

Who was Bridget Bishop?

She was long suspected of being a witch, disliked in the community and had been previously blamed for the disappearances of money from 1670s onwards

Who was george Burroughs?

Minister of Salem but left in 1680 due to a dispute over pay, moved to Maine and was described a confident, strong willed and decisive preacher. He was seen as high profile and attractive but was involved in the Wabanaki Falmouth attack and after this left Maine with Mercy Lewis as his servant - he abused her

Who was Giles Corey?

81 year old married to Martha Corey and a prosperous armed who had been taken to court 15 years earlier for allegedly beating his farm hand to death. He freuqently took others too court such as Proctor who he claimed had burned down his farm and was seen as old and annoying

Who was Sarah Good?

39 year old widow she had no dowry due to her fathers death and could only marry Daniel poole an indentured servant - when Poole died she was left heavily in debt and was forced to sell off all her and her new husbands property to pay for Daniels creditors - she became homeless and a bigger, was unpopular and described as a muttering women

Who was Rebecca Nurse?

71 years old, well respected in Salem, described as an exemplar of piety in the community - she lived in Salem village but was a part of Salem church as she disliked Parris

Who was Sarah Osburn?

She was surrounded by scandal as she had married her servant and managed her own farm - she was old and bedridden meaning she had not been too church for 3 years before 1692

Who was John Proctor?

Tavern owner in Salem who had substantial land in Salem and Ipswich - he was part of the anti-parris and Putnam faction but was still well respected - he was outspoken against the trials, threatened to beat his servant Mary Warren when she became possessed and when his wife was accussed he made a petition with 30 signatures on his and her innocence and good character

Who was Tituba?

A salve from barbados who was taken to New England by parris and instructed to make a witch cake after the possession of williams and Betty parris

Who was John Hathorne and John Corbin?

Two magistrates who issued the arrest warrants for Tituba, Osborne and good - they had little practice when it came to serious crimes but travelled to Salem to question the three women

Who was Thomas Danforth?

Deputy governer and acting governer of Massachusetts whilst the community awaited a new governer from england

Who was William Phips?

New governer of Massachusetts in 1692 who arrived with a charter which aimed to destroy and rebuild the Massachusetts legal system, a close friend of increase Mather

When and how did the hunt in Salem begin?

January 1692, Betty Parris (9) and Abigail Williams (11) under the care of Samuel parris began to experinece fits and signs of possession and by mid february Parris had decided the fits were the work of witches

What contribution did Tituba (Parris slave) make in the early months of the witch-hunt?

Instructed to make a witch cake (rye bread mixed with the girls urine which would be fed to the family dog and cause a witch to reveal themselves) as a part of white magic

Who was first accussed in the hunt and why?

Tituba was accused by Betty and Abigail after making the witch cake, a piece of white magic

Who were the second two afflicted girls in the Salem witch-hunt, after Betty and Abigail?

Ann Putnam Jr and Elizabeth Hubbard

When did Putnam Jr and Elizabeth Hubbard begin experiencing possession?

They were friensd with Betty and Abigail and began to experinece possession at the same time

Who was the 5th girl to be afflicted in the witch-hunt~?

Mercy Lewis, servant of Putnam family

What kinds of things did Putnam, Hubbard and Lewis do as part of their 'possesion'?

Screamed, threw things, consorted themselves and regularly cried out in pain

Who did Putnam, Hubbard and Lewis identify as a witch?

Sarah Good, a already suspected witch and beggar, and Sarah Osburn, who was bed ridden and did not attend church

How might Lewis have been influenced by her past to begin experiencing witchcraft?

She was a refugeee from the king williams war and had seen her family be murdered - she experienced Parris frequent sermons about hell which mimicked life in Maine - this would have influenced her hysteria

Why did legal proceedings first begin against Tituba, Osburn and Good?

Due to the status of Thomas Putnam, Anns father,

What happened when Good and Osborn were questioned by two magistrates, Hathorne and Corbin?

Good denied the charges of witchcraft and when this happened the afflicted girls at the trial began to experinece severe convulsions and cried that her spirit was affecting them - in response Good then accussed Osborn as the real witch

How did Good accusing Osborn as a witch at their trial negatively impact her?

She gave credibility to the charges of witchcraft, making it more likely she would also be imprisoned

How was Tituba a 'star' witness in the trials of herself, Osborn and Good?

She admitted to being a witch and described good as having a familiar shaped like a yellow bird that sucked on her fingers (witches mark) - she claimed she had made a mark in the devils book with Good, Osborne and 9 other witches in salem

According to the testimony of Tituba, what was happening in Salem?

Diabolical conspiracy

Who was accussed after Tituba, good and Osborne were placed in custody?

Goods 4 year old daughter, Martha Corey and Rebecca nurse - Corey had publicly declared her skepticism of the trials already whilst Rebecca Nurse was well respected but had a long-running dispute with the Putnams over land

What happened when Mary Warren begin to show signs of possession in April 1692?

Servant of John Proctor she recovered from her convulsions when Proctor threatened to beat her until she wouldn't have any fits any more - after she stopped convulsing she was arrested and confessed to having signed the devils book because the Proctors told her to do so

How did Proctor respond to Warrens implication of him in the witch-hunt?

He expressed his disbelief in the accusers and the validity of spectral evidence collecting a petition of 32 signatures to testify his good name

How do we know that by May and April of 1692, the trials had become colony wide?

Deputy Governor of Masschuetsuss Thomas Danforth visited Salem and although he went back to Boston with no conclusive decision as to whetehr he was against the trials or not the trials continued

Who was accussed in April and may of 1692?

Bridget bishop and Giles Corey and then Ann Putnam accussed George Burroughs who was living in Maine but had once lived in Salem

What did Ann Putnam claim she saw that showed her Burroughs was a witch?

She said she had seen his spectre which tried to make her sign the devils book and him boasting he had killed all his wives

By the end of May 1692 how many people were in custody for witchcraft accusations?

62

What was established to try witches in Salem and by who?

William Phips new governer of Massachusetts's established the court of Oyer and Terminer - 9 justices were appointed to hold court and these were leading men of the colony

Between June and September 1692, how often did the court of oyer and terminer meet?

Met 5 times for a few days each, where the judges submitted evidence to the juries who would decide if the accussed could go to trial

Why were the trials in the court of oyer and terminer not fair?

The accused were not allowed lawyers, judges used leading questions and could pressure the jury, the accussed could only cross examine witness for their defence

What kind of evidences did the judges of the Court of Oyer and Terminer accept?

Accepted spectral evidence in accusations, the touch text (accussed touched the afflicted while they were having a fit, if they stopped it was believed the accused spirit had afflicted them)

What was the first trial at the court of oyer and terminer?

Bridget Bishop

How was the case brought against Bishop at the first court?

She was accused as she had the best case against her and the court was confident she was convicted - she had been found with many voodoo dolls in her basement, already been suspected of being a witch and already had objections against her for stealing

What was teh final aspect of Bishops case that meant she was convicted of being a witch?

She was examined for a witches teat and this was found and she was then condemned to be hanged

When did objections to the witch trials in Salem begin?

As early as the first trial

Who first proposed opposition to the witchcraft trials in Salem?

Judge Nathanial Saltonstall resigned from the court of oyer and terminer while ministers such as John Hale condemned the use of spectral evidence and the touch test

How did the court of oyer and terminer attempt to return justice and respect to the trials after Saltonstall walked out and Hale objected?

They brought in Cotton Mather, who was seen as a witchcraft colony expert and although he had critiqued spectral evidence he didnt outright deny its validity and this gave judges the green light to continue

Who were the second and third cases at the court of Oyer and Terminer?

Sarah Good and after her Rebecca Nurse

What did Sarah Good say before she was hanged in mid July after her and Nurses trial?

She said she was no more a witch than the judges were wizards

By July 1692 how had the witch-hunt progressed?

Moved outside of Salem village and to the town of Andover

What were people accussed of in Andover as the witchunt spread?

Satanic baptisms, enchanting crops and flying on broomsticks - many confessed to their crimes

When did the third session of court hearings begin at the court of oyer and terminer?

August

What type of victims did the third session of the court see?

Highest profile victims - including Martha Corey, Elizabeth proctor, and George Burroughs

What was the relationship between Cotton and Increase Mather?

Increase Mather was Cotton Mathers fathers

Why were the convictions of Burroughs and John proctor unsettling for the community?

They were hardly typical witches and when Burroughs was about to be hanged he gave a perfect recitation of the Lord's Prayer which a witch was not supposed to be able to do - following the executions discontent began to settle in the community