Salem+Witch+Trials+-+2011

The Salem Witch Trials  Brief History __ By the end of the trials: __
 * Where: Salem Town, Colonial Massachusetts from 1692 to 1693
 * When: 1692 to 1693
 * Puritans believed the Devil could grant the ability to harm others in return for their allegiance
 * Trials very religiously motivated
 * Tens of thousands of “witches” were executed across Europe. 1300’s to 1600’s.
 * During King William’s war between the French and American colonies refugees of upper states were sent to Salem Village.
 * The movement of people to Salem became strenuous on the resources and people that lived there.
 * Aggravated rivalries between wealthy families with ties to the Salem port.[[image:lacertewiki/Samuel_Parris.jpg align="right" caption="Reverend Samuel Parris"]]
 * Aggravated people who relied on agriculture.
 * Reverend Samuel Parris became Salem Village’s first minister in 1689.
 * Disliked because of his greedy nature and inflexible ways.
 * Villagers believed the fighting was the work of the Devil.
 * When abnormal things kept happening to three young girls in the village, three women were accused of being witches for causing this. These three women happened to be a slave, a beggar, and another impoverished. They were put in jail and were to be hanged.
 * The village now became paranoid and more accusations followed.
 * As paranoia became more prevalent, dozens of people from Salem and throughout Massachusetts were brought in for questioning.
 * Bridget Bishop, an older woman accused as being a witch, was the first person to be hanged on Gallows Hill. Thirteen women and five men of all ages then followed her to the gallows to be hung.
 * Finally the court was disbanded by Governor William Phipps because people were being persecuted with only spectral evidence (dreams and visions).
 * Phipps set free all people that were in prison, and waiting to be tried due to witchcraft charges by May 1693.
 * 19 people had been hanged on Gallows Hill
 * A 71-year old man had been stoned to death
 * Many people died in jail
 * About 200 people had been accused or practicing witchcraft

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Proof of Persecution


 * They would use dull needles to test “witch teats”, said to have no feeling in them.
 * No medical evidence was found to prove any of the afflicted peoples fits.
 * Lord’s Prayer test… If said perfectly with no mistakes or omissions, they were not a witch; George Burroughs had said it but was quickly hung to smother any revolts.
 * Witch Cake- a cake made from the urine of the afflicted, fed to a dog thinking the witch would cry out in pain at the dog eating the cake, (dog was image/reincarnation of devil)
 * Spectral evidence- evidence based on where the specters of “witches” are seen in visions or dreams of the accusers.
 * Touch test- The accused witch would be forced to touch the afflicted because of the belief of if the witch touched the afflicted, the affliction would be lifted.
 * George Burroughs borrowed money from the Puritans, which brought on tension between himself and the Puritans. They eventually accused him of being the ringleader of the witches and being a virtual priest of the Devil.

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Historical Relevance In England tens of thousands of people accused of witchcraft (mostly women) were executed causing others to move to Salem Massachusetts. In Salem between 1692 and 1693 over 200 people were accused of practising witchcraft and 20 were executed. Now over 300 years later these trials are still being studied because of the paranoia and injustice that occurred.

During this period in time Salem was split into a prosperous town, one group to Boston, and the other a farming village. These two groups continued to argue amongst each other. The villagers then divided into groups that debated whether to seek ecclesiastical and political dependence from the town. In 1692 the villagers gained the right to establish the start of their own church who chose Reverend Samuel Parris, a former merchant, to be their minister. Later Samuel’s rigid ways and demands for compensation, including personal title to the village personage, caused many villagers to vow to take him out of power. At this time Betty Perry (Samuel Parris’ daughter), Abigail Williams, and their friend Ann Putnam began having fits which were given no normal explanation. The puritans with no explanation turned to the supernatural and the girls were bewitched. Tituba a lady of misfit spoke to the villagers, who became spell bound, about black dogs, red cats, yellow birds, and a white haired man who bade her sign the devils book. Tituba then told them there were many undiscovered witches. Finding witches then became a crusade to Salem and all of Massachusetts. People during this time also accused others of practising witchcraft in order to have their land, or other possessions, for themselves. The Salem witch trials were a time of injustice and paranoia which is why these trials are still studied today. Even in the last hundred years we have seen many situations in which these same “witch hunts” have taken place. Such as the communist witch hunts. We can look back and see how this paranoia has had a negative influence on the people accused and still deserve compensation for this injustice.

[] [] [] [] Case Study: Sara Good Sara Good was one of the first women tried for suspicion of being a witch in 1962. The death of her first husband, left her with debt, and her marrying of William Good caused them to be responsible for her first marriages’ unpaid debt. She was known in the Salem Village for coming by door to door with her child begging for food, work and shelter from her neighbors. Sara had a strong attitude towards their host causing the host to eventually ask the family to pack up and leave. After her departure, people notice her muttering something. Soon after she departed, the host families noticed that their live stocked started to fail, and cattle became sick. They believed that Sara had placed a "curse" on them for not letting her stay longer. In Jan 1962 Reverend Parris’ daughter, Betty, and niece, Abigail Williams, were examined by a doctor for their unfamiliar fits. The doctor came to the conclusion that the children were under the influence of witch craft, which made many towns people panic in fear. The girls claimed their tormentors were Sara Good, Tituba (slave), and Sara Osburn. Sara Good was the first out of the 3 to be tried; over 15 people were telling stories of why they believed that Sara was a witch. William Good even stated he felt as if she was becoming something evil and that she was evil to all things good. Sara's daughter Dorcas, was arrested and confessed of being a witch along with her mother. She claimed a little red mark on her finger (more like a flea bite) was from a snake her mother had given her. They then jailed Dorcas along with her mother, with no other "evidence" besides the hostess families & the daughters claiming them as the "tormentors". Even though Good never confessed to these crimes, they set a date for her to be hung. A local minster, Reverend Noyes, gave her a chance to confess her sins, but then she stated "You're a liar! I'm no more a witch than you are a wizard! If you take my life away, God will give you blood to drink!" Twenty-five years after the hanging of Sara Good, it is said that Reverend Noyes died of internal bleeding.

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Influence on Culture The Crucible is a fictional play by Arthur Miller written in the 1950`s during the time of McCarthyism. It showed the connection between the Salem Witch Trials and the communist witch hunts going on in the 1950`s. This was when the US blacklisted people accused of being communists.Miller himself was questioned for being a communist. He displays what it would be like to live in any society where going against authority and stating one`s own opinion would result in punishment and rejection. A modern form of the influence the trials have had is the new television series, "The Vampire Diaries", based on the novels. It is a fictional story that uses inaccurate but related aspects of the Salem Witch Trials to help the plot along. In this case though, witches are not depicted as evil, but instead are mostly helpful, and want to restore balance in the world.

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Brief History: Chantelle Kent Proof of Persecution: Jordan Muckle Historical Relevance: Josh Murphy Case Study: Vivian Banh Influence on Culture: Chantelle Kent