New England 2nd Generation

The Salem Witch Trials
1692

By: Analise, James, Mandy, and Laura

Social Causes

• Moral divisions over the church government
• Family problems - Putnams
• Reverend Parris transformed his enemies’ reputations
• Strict laws governing behavior
• Stressed because Massachusetts lost its charter
• Frequent Indian attacks
• Constant fear added greatly to hysteria
• Indians seen as from the devil
• Many of the accused and accusers had ties to Indian attacks
• Believed Satan and demons were present in physical world
• Entice people to assist him by becoming witches and warlocks

Predestination & Original Sin

• “We should every one of us be a dog and a witch, too, if God should leave us to ourselves. It is the mere grace of God, the chains of which refrain us from bringing the chains of darkness upon our souls.”
• Cotton Mather
• Belief that people were all bad unless God did good through them.
• Encouraged witch hysteria

What is a witch?

• Those who entered into a contract or “covenant” with the Devil
• Devil or one of his agents could assume the witch’s shape to torment other human beings.

The Beginning

• Abigail Williams and Betty Parris and other girls formed groups to learn fortune telling and to tell stories of witchcraft
• Abigail and Betty have mysterious illnesses
• Blame older women
• Said they were bewitched
• First only three women accused
• Two elderly women and slave
• Bad reputations and low social standing

The Accusations

• Accusations continued even after the 3 were put in jail on March 1
• More girls became mysteriously ill
• Accused more people of witchcraft
• Anywhere from 150 – 300 people were eventually accused and jailed.

Trials

• Trials didn’t start till late May
• Several had already died in jail
• No one found innocent
• Only those who confessed to witchcraft & gave other names were spared
• All others condemned to death
• Only one not by hanging
• Giles Corey
• In that summer, 19 were hung
• Only six were men
• Others – mostly old women
• A once respected minister
• Constable

The Economy

• Land and cattle suffered
• Untended
• Many unaccused fled to other colonies
• Left their businesses and homes

The End

• January 1693
• Governor’s wife was accused of witchcraft
• Governor prohibited more trials and pardoned the convicted not yet hung
• Death Toll
• 19 people hung
• 1 pressed to death
• 24 total humans died
• 2 dogs hung

Social Effects

• Many still not out of prison
• Crops failed for years afterward
• Salem Politics changed
• New election
• Elected anti-Parris
• Parris apologized and left Salem
• Not known what happened to the accusers

More Effects

• Ended Puritans’ rule of New England
• Showed widening social classes of New England
• No one ever died again from being convicted as a witch

Other Effects

• "It were better that Ten Suspected Witches should escape, than that the Innocent Person should be Condemned."
• Increase Mather
• Now shown in criminal justice system
• Innocent until proven guilty

posted by Jeffrey @ Wednesday, November 16, 2005