HIST134 Midterm - Salem Witchcraft IDs

Salem Witchcraft Trials (1691-92)

A period of intense accusations and legal proceedings in the Massachusetts Bay Colony 55 years after the Hutchinson trial. The trials were fueled by deep local divisions (Salem Town vs. Salem Village), political instability (e.g., waiting for Governor Phips following the Glorious Revolution), and the widespread belief in a World of Signs and Wonder. Ultimately, 14 women and 5 men were hanged, and 1 man (Giles Corey) was pressed to death.

Salem Town vs. Salem Village

The geographical and economic split underpinning the hysteria. Salem Town contained wealthy merchants seen as adopting corrupt commercial values, while Salem Village consisted of older, landholding Puritan farmers (like the Putnams) who resented the Town’s rising status. This factionalism is evidenced by the fact that 30 of the 32 accusers came from the Village, while 12 of the 14 defendants came from the Town.

King James II & Gov. Andros

King James II was a Catholic monarch who revoked colonial charters and created the Dominion of New England, appointing Sir William Andros as Governor. Andros told colonists they lacked the rights of Englishmen. Their actions spurred the colonists to rebel during the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

Glorious Revolution of 1688

A rebellion in England that deposed King James II and led to the arrest and expulsion of his appointee, Governor Andros. This event, which associated with Enlightenment ideas like those of John Locke, left Massachusetts in a state of political revolt and without an appointed governor when the Salem hysteria began.

King William’s War

Occurred between 1609 and 1697. It involved England fighting France, which led to French and Native American allies launching bloody raids on outlying Puritan settlements. Some of the afflicted girls in Salem, such as Mercy Lewis, were traumatized refugees from these frontier raids.

The Putnam Family

A prominent family in Salem Village who championed traditional status rooted in landholding. They opposed the commercial values of Salem Town. They were the chief supporters of minister Deodat Lawson and were involved in legal disputes with figures like Sarah Osborne.

Deodat Lawson

The former pastor of Salem Village who was the Putnam family’s choice for minister. The Putnams asked him to return in 1692, shortly after the fits began.

World of Signs and Wonder

The Puritan belief that life was not randomly cruel, but that everything that happened—like comets, epidemics, and birth defects—was a sign and message from God. This worldview was critical to the trials because Puritans believed that the afflictions and fits experienced by the girls must have been caused by an "evil hand" (witchcraft).

Visible Saints

In Salem, this term referred to highly pious individuals believed to be among "the elect". The accusation of Rebecca Nurse, a pious and respected woman previously considered a Visible Saint, was a major turning point in the trials because it showed that anyone could be a witch.

Samuel Parris

The controversial minister of Salem Village (starting in 1688) who resented successful business people. The first fits occurred in his household, involving his daughter, Elizabeth, and his niece, Abigail Williams. He owned two slaves, Tituba and John.

Tituba

An enslaved person of "Indian" or "Spanish Indian" descent owned by Samuel Parris. She was asked to make a Witch Cake and was later beaten by Parris, leading her to confess and name other women. Her confession, which was based on common English superstitions, was crucial in validating the early accusations.

Witch Cake

a piece of folk magic made with the afflicted girls' urine, designed to reveal or hurt the witch. Ministers were outraged by its use, believing it involved the Devil.

Abigail Williams

Samuel Parris’s 11-year-old niece and one of the primary accusers in Salem. She will accuse 44 people.

Cotton Mather

A leading Puritan minister who was knowledgeable about science but also wrote a book on witchcraft in 1689, which the accusers may have read. Although he urged caution, he approved of the trials, arguing that witchcraft "must be stamped out". He famously rationalized the conviction of pious people by quoting scripture: "The Devil has often been transformed into an angel of light".

Jonathan Corwin & John Hathorne

The two county magistrates who oversaw the initial hearings in Salem.

Court of Oyer and Terminer

A special court called by Governor Phips to handle the hysteria, meaning "To hear and determine". It bypassed the regular court system, utilized both a Grand Jury and a Petit Jury, and crucially allowed the use of Spectral evidence.

Goody Osborn (Sarah Osborne)

One of the first three women accused by Tituba and the girls. She had ongoing legal disputes with the Putnam family.

Rebecca Nurse

A pious, highly respected Visible Saint whose accusation by Abigail Williams marked a "Big turning point" in the trials, as it showed that even the most godly could be targets. She was hanged.

Giles Corey

An 80-year-old man who refused to enter a plea when accused. To compel him, he was tortured (pressed over 3 days). By refusing to plead, he avoided the Corruption of Blood, which would have prohibited him from passing his land to his heirs.

Judge Samuel Sewell

A prominent jurist on the Court of Oyer and Terminer whose detailed journal serves as a key source for the trial events. Despite voting to convict associates, he later repented publicly for the part he played in the legal failures of the trials.

Spectral evidence

Evidence that only the accusers could see (e.g., the witch’s specter or spirit tormenting them). The allowance of this type of evidence by the judges and juries was highly problematic and allowed the hysteria to escalate. It was eventually banned by Governor Phips in October 1692 after his own wife was accused.

Compurgation

A medieval method of determining guilt where the defendant swore an oath on a holy object. In the Salem context, this was utilized through the Touch Test and the requirement that the accused perfectly recite the Lord’s Prayer on the Bible. Saying the prayer incorrectly was considered a sign that the person was a witch.

George Burroughs

A former Salem Village minister who was accused of being the leader of the entire Satanic plot. He was in debt to the Putnams. Despite reciting the Lord’s Prayer perfectly at the gallows, Cotton Mather rationalized his hanging by saying that the Devil disguises himself as an angel of light.

Ergot Poisoning

One historical theory for the fits, suggesting the afflicted girls suffered LSD-like hallucinations, convulsions, and delirium caused by a mold from rye bread. Critics of this theory argue that the symptoms should not have been localized only to the girls, and the weather conditions did not favor the fungus in 1692.

Conversion Disorder

a psychological theory suggesting the fits were anxiety manifesting itself through neurological and physical symptoms (clinical hysteria).

The Crucible

A work related to the Salem Witchcraft Trials. The sources state that the Salem Witchcraft Trials occurred between 1691 and 1692, but the specific date this related work was created is not provided in the sources. The work's significance stems from its connection to the Salem Witchcraft Trials, an event remembered today as a cautionary tale of catastrophic legal failure. The memory of the trials, where proceedings failed to offer adequate legal protection (such as accepting spectral evidence), influenced the framers of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights 95 years later

Mass Sociogenic Illness

the rapid spread of symptoms (like fits) affecting those within a cohesive group, cited as a possibility for the collective hysteria in Salem.

Witch’s Familiar

a demon, often in animal form, that the witch received from Satan in return for allegiance, which would do the witch’s bidding. Finding evidence of a familiar (like a third teat for suckling) was key to conviction.