Most of us know the basics of the Salem Witch Trials but for the majority of us, it’s been a while since we brushed up on that history. Well, this history nerd is here to help you out with a little history nugget on the Salem Witch Trials, before or after your visit to the witch city.
Did you know that nearly 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft during the Salem With Trails?
During the late Middle Ages, religious citizens believed that the Devil could bestow upon certain people, better known as witches, the power to harm others in return for their undying loyalty. Europe experienced its witch hysteria from 1300 to the 1600s, during the Renaissance. Unfortunately, the hysteria ended with tens of thousands of people being executed for witchcraft.
In many instances, the women (mostly) who were accused of practicing witchcraft were tortured until they confessed. This led to many false confessions to simply stop the torturous circumstances these women were being held under. In much of Europe, the guilty would be strangled and then burned at the stake, while England separated itself by hanging the confessed witches. By the time that most Europeans regarded witchcraft as a superstition, the Salem Witch Trials were just getting underway.
You see, certain historical happenings set a chain of events into motion and once those events begin, they cannot be stopped. Around 1689 William and Mary (the English rulers of the time) began a war with the French in the American colonies. As you probably already know, at this point in history the Americas were a highly sought after commodity. France and Britain had been at odds throughout history and this was certainly true when it came to who controlled more land in the Americas. This particular war was known as King William’s War. It ravaged the northern region of North America sending many people to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
The colony of Massachusetts Bay was founded by men and women who journeyed to America to escape religious persecution and practice religion in their own way. However, Salem was not equipped to deal with the influx of people who were displaced by the war between the British and French. The wealth of the port culture of Salem did not mix well with the displaced who relied solely on agriculture to survive. All of the quarreling between neighbors was generally believed to be the work of the Devil. Puritans, am I right? It did not help matters that the strict and greedy Reverend Samuel Parris was named Salem Village’s first ordained minister in 1689.
Well then, all hell broke loose in 1692, the hysteria began when a group of young girls accused both men and women of practicing witchcraft. Witch hysteria was widespread in colonial New England and the general belief was that these “witches” influenced the young girls who were then possessed by the Devil. It’s no surprise that Parris’ daughter Elizabeth (age 9) and his niece Abigail (age 11) were the first to start experiencing fits. The girls shrieked, made odd sounds, threw things and contorted themselves into bizarre positions. The town doctor believed bewitchment was to blame.
The first three women to be accused of practicing witchcraft were Tituba (Parris’ slave), Sarah Good, and the elderly Sarah Osborn. The accused were interrogated and asked to pass a series of tests but during these tests in court, the young accusers would scream and thrash on the floor making concentration impossible.
Good and Osborn denied their guilt in court, but Tituba confessed, likely hoping to save herself as an informer. She also claimed that other witches were acting against the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay. Others who were accused followed Tituba’s lead and informed the courts of more witches. After being accused, the men and women would be arrested and jailed until they were hanged or died in jail due to the deplorable and inhumane conditions.
In May of 1692, governor William Phipps established the Court of Oyer and Terminer. This court was established specifically to make decisions concerning witchcraft cases. The witch trials had something for everyone, enthralling young women witnesses, roaring prosecutors and accusations of the most detrimental and personal kind.
Three judges presided over the first case brought to the special court, the case of Bridget Bishop. She was an elderly woman known as a town gossip and for her promiscuity. She must be a witch, right? She adamantly denied that she was a witch, but she was found guilty. Following in jolly old England’s footsteps, Bishop was the first person to be hanged on Gallows Hill in Salem and eighteen more people were hanged in the following months. Seven of the accused died in jail and the unfortunate Giles Corey was pressed to death at 71 years old.
When all was said and done nearly 200 people had been accused of practicing witchcraft. Later it was declared that the trials were unlawful, and Samuel Sewall even apologized for his part in the trials. The guilty verdicts for the trials were annulled but the damage, was done. Salem remains relevant because it is an excellent example of how much damage ignorance, hysteria and mob mentality can create when left unchecked.
References
Blumberg, Jess. “A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials: One town’s strange journey from paranoia to pardon.” Smithsonian Magazine, 2007. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/
“Salem Witch Trials.” History.com, 2015. http://www.history.com/topics/salem-witch-trials
The Crucible – Arthur Miller (either read the play or watch the movie)
Six Women of Salem – Marilynne K. Roach (I’m currently reading this one!)
The Witches: Suspicion, Betrayal, and Hysteria in 1692 Salem – Stacy Schiff
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane – Katherine Howe
The All Souls Trilogy– Deborah Harkness
Practical Magic – Alice Hoffman
The Rules of Magic – Alice Hoffman
