Salem Witch Crisis: Background and Summary

Transcription

1 Witch Crisis: Background and Summary, Massachusetts in the late 1600s faced a number of serious challenges to a peaceful social fabric. was divided into a prosperous town and a farming village. The villagers, in turn, were split into factions that fiercely debated whether to seek religious and political independence from the town. In 1689 the villagers won the right to establish their own church and chose the Reverend Samuel Parris, a former merchant, as their minister. His rigid ways and seemingly boundless demands for compensation (payment) increased the already present friction. Many villagers vowed to drive Parris out, and they stopped contributing to his salary in October In February 1692, Betty Parris, Reverend Parris's nine-year-old daughter, as well as her friends Abigail Williams (Rev. Parris s niece) and Ann Putnam, became ill with symptoms that doctors could not diagnose, including fits and delirium. The girls complained of pinching, prickling sensations, knifelike pains, and the feeling of being choked. Dr. Griggs, who attended to the "afflicted" girls, suggested that they might be bewitched. Mercy Lewis, Mary Walcott, and Mary Warren later claimed affliction as well. Reverend Parris and Dr. Griggs pressed the girls to name the witches who were tormenting them. The girls named three women, who were then arrested. Sarah Good, a poor woman; Sarah Osbourn, an elderly woman; and Tituba, a slave who had told them stories involving Vudou beliefs. The women were tried for witchcraft - Good and Osbourn claimed innocence, and Tituba confessed. Tituba's detailed confession included a claim that there were several undiscovered witches who wanted to destroy the community. The new accused witches joined Tituba and the other two women in jail. The accused faced a difficult situation. If they confessed to witchcraft, they could escape death but would have to provide details of their crimes and the names of other participants. On the other hand, it was very difficult to prove one s innocence. The Puritans believed that witches knew magic and could send spirits to torture people. However, the visions of torture could only be seen by the victims. The afflicted girls and women were often kept in the courtroom as evidence while the accused were examined. If they screamed and claimed that the accused witch was torturing

2 them, the judge would have to believe their visions, even if the accused witch was not doing anything visible to the girls. Over the next few months of this witch-hunting rampage 19 men and women were hanged, one man was pressed to death, and over 150 more people were imprisoned, awaiting trial. The accused ranged in age from four years old, to over 80 years old. Several of the accused died in jail, and the victims did not stop there. While in jail Sarah Good had given birth to a baby girl, Mercy, who died in prison, Sarah was executed shortly after. On September 22, 1692, the last eight alleged witches were hanged. On October 8, 1692, Governor Phipps ordered that spectral evidence (when someone claimed to witness a person's spirit in a separate location from that same person's physical body) could no longer be admitted in witchcraft trials. On October 29, 1692 Phipps prohibited further arrests and released many accused witches. The remaining alleged witches were pardoned by May The hangings of witches in 1692 were the last such hangings in America. Trial Statistics Accused Tried Convicted Executed Pressed Died in Prison Women Men Total

3 A: Discourse on Witchcraft (Modified) In the speech below, Cotten Mather, an influential leader of the Puritans, argues for the existence of witchcraft: I will prove that Witchcraft exists. Those who deny it exists argue that they never saw any witches, therefore there are none. That would be as if you or I said: We never met any robbers, therefore there are none. I have two pieces of evidence that witchcraft exists: First, the Scripture mentions witchcraft. Secondly, many people have experienced the horrors of witchcraft. Source: Cotton Mather, Memorable Providences relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions, from A Discourse on Witchcraft, (Boston, 1689), pp Cotton Mather was one of the most influential religious leaders in America at the time. B: Testimony of Abigail Hobbs (Modified) Below is the testimony of a teenager accused of witchcraft, Abigail Hobbs, on April 19, Judge: Abigail Hobbs, you are brought before Authority to answer to various acts of witchcraft. What say you? Are you guilty, or not? Speak the truth. Abigail Hobbs: I will speak the truth. I have seen sights and been scared. I have been very wicked. I hope I shall be better, if God will help me. Judge: What sights did you see? Abigail Hobbs: I have seen the Devil. Judge: How often, many times? Abigail Hobbs: But once. Judge: What would he have you do? Abigail Hobbs: Why, he would have me be a witch. Judge: Would he have you make a covenant with him? Abigail Hobbs: Yes.

4 C: Chart of Family Farms Average Size of Family Farms in Village, : Witch Trials Average Size of Family Farms in Village, D: Map of Village The map below depicts Village (on the left/west) and Town (on the right/east). Most people in Village were farmers, whereas most people in Town were merchants and townspeople. The residents of Village had to pay taxes to Town. The map shows that most of the people who made accusations were from Village.

5 The Witch Trials Name A What is it? (Describe this piece of evidence) According to this document, why did the people of believe the girls accusations? B C What is it? (Describe this piece of evidence) According to this document, what was happening economically in in 1692? D

6 Using information from all four pieces of evidence and the background essay, answer the following question: What caused the Witch Trials of 1692?