Salem Witch Trials Lecture Notes

Background on Witchcraft

• Belief in Witchcraft: Witchcraft was widely believed to exist, not questioned by Puritans.
• European Witch Trials:
  • Predated Puritans, featured many accusations, mainly against women.
  • Women seen as suspects due to sexual connotations of deals with the devil.
  • Men called druids or witches but less suspected.
• Execution Methods in Europe:
  • Witches were burned at the stake; fire seen as cleansing.
  • Trial by water: drowning meant innocence (dead); floating meant guilt (burned).

Puritan Approach to Witchcraft

• Changes by Puritans:
  • Did not burn witches; instead, they hanged them (seen as more humane).
  • Trials required proof of witchcraft, allowing the accused to defend themselves.
• Outcomes of Trials:
  • Many were exiled due to lack of proof.
  • Accusers could be sued for slander if the accused were found not guilty.

Salem Witch Trials Overview

• Cultural Context: Witchcraft tied to the devil, seen as a danger to Puritan community.
• Influential Writings:
  • Cotton Mather and Increase Mather, religious leaders, wrote influential texts.
  • "The Wonders of the Invisible World" defended the trials.
  • "The Hammer of Witches": misogynistic text warning against women.

Start of Salem Witch Trials

• Initial Events in 1692:
  • Began with a group of young girls claiming to see the future.
  • Tituba, a slave, showed them a game; accused when girls exhibited strange behavior.
  • Doctor ruled out medical cause; witchcraft suggested.
• Accusations and Methods:
  • Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne first accused.
  • Trials forced confessions and naming of others to root out evil.

Factors Leading to Accusations

• Characteristics of Accused Women:
  • Without male presence, poor, childless, older, outspoken, less religious.
  • Rural women more likely to be accused; visible saints initially avoided suspicion.
• Social Tensions:
  • Rural vs. town, rich vs. poor, visible saints vs. non-visible saints.
  • Feuds and wealth disparities influenced accusations.

The Trials Process

• Structure of Trials:
  • Accusers (including young girls) and public observed trials.
  • Specters used as evidence; confessions led to naming others.
  • Trials were biased; many were inevitably found guilty.

End of Salem Witch Trials

• Decline and Aftermath:
  • Trials ended with intervention by Increase Mather condemning the process.
  • No apologies; jailed individuals had to pay for their release.
  • Decline of Puritan communities as trust and cohesion diminished.

Reasons for the Trials

• Why it Happened:
  • Fear of dissidents and external threats heightened tensions.
  • Efforts to root out evil led to extreme measures.
  • Social and economic factors fueled accusations.
  • Mob mentality and attention-seeking among accusers.

Conclusion

• Impact on Society:
  • Demonstrated internal conflicts and issues within Puritan society.
  • Initiated a decline in Puritan community structures, shifting to more secular towns.