The Salem Witch Trials was a dark and deadly time in America’s history. It was a time of religious persecution of innocent people. The afflicted used accusations as reasoning to answer the questions arising from the community. The deeply Puritan based communities surrounding and including Salem (today called Danvers), feared afflictions with the strong religious belief that there was a demonic or satanic presence causing them. The term witchcraft and those associated with it deemed to be witches, began to be used readily as a source of the afflicted’s problems. From accusations to either false confessions or convictions resulting in deaths, this period in American history is unjust.
The Salem Witch Trials follows and coincides with a list of 350 people accused of witchcraft in New England during the years 1620 to 1725. Looking at Europe and it’s colonies in years 1400 to 1775, approximately 100,000 people were accused and tried with 50,000 people killed in the witch hunt era. In Salem between the years 1692 to 1693, 172 people were formally accused or informally cried out upon for being a witch or suspected of witchcraft. Twenty-five people died during the Salem witch trials. Nineteen men and women were hanged on Gallows Hill in this time period. Five people died waiting for resolution in jail. An elderly man, eighty-one years old was punished by the court for not answering questions during his punishment of being pressed he died. The first person tried, convicted, and hanged was Sarah Bishop in June 10,1692. The first person who died in jail was Sarah Osburn, a bedridden, ill woman. The first person accused of bewitching someone was Tituba, a house maid to an affluent religious family.
The community of Salem, Salem Village, and Salem Town (all governed together) were under a political, economical, and military driven religious reform. Primarily Puritian, the people had strong beliefs and expected country and their God to coincide. Common things such as missing church, being ill, fighting with a spouse, or a behavior that doesn’t fit the “norm” could alert members of the town or church to suspect evil in that person. If an accusation is made it is valued more than the person who is suspected own words. The accused were now subjected to any testing the court saw fit and were at the discretion of the court for their interpretation of the results.
The prayer test was utilized in the Salem witch trials. A suspected witch would be given a passage of scripture or prayer to read aloud and must read exactly as written. If there are any mistakes or substitutions it is deemed a failure and they are classified as a witch. One accused man, George Burroghs a past minister of Salem Village, spoke by heart word for word scripture while up on the gallows. George showed his innocence through their test yet the court claimed it was a trick from satan and hung him anyway.
Another test is a viewing of the body for further evidence of birthmarks, warts, moles, or other marks that could be portals that Satan could enter the body through. There are marks searched for that are called the devil’s marks if found on the body. The claim is that a pact is made with satan if a mark is found and as the mark grows so does the relationship in this form of evil. In the case of Sarah Bishop, a mark upon on her body was found and decidedly thought to be for a satanic purpose. She had also been accused of changing into an animal yet this was left unseen.
Tests involving water such as binding the accused and throwing them into a body of water. The concept is if they sink they are not a witch but if they float they are. The act of a holy baptism is applied here. The belief in this test is in witchcraft baptism will be rejected thus floating will occur. Some drowned in the use of this method which was came about in the middle ages and resurfaced again in the 17th and 18th century.
The touch test was completed by using a victim of witchcraft to touch the accused witch. If that person is involved in witchcraft the victim will immediately show signs by physically reacting. This method was hard to prove genuine and was shown to have its testers become suspects themselves.
One of most substantial parts of these cases were the testimonies of the witnesses. During the time of the trials many would come forward with accusatory statements or false testimonies with the hopes their family would then be safe by disassociating themselves with the accused. The more people that would testify the more accusations came about ensuring a conviction through spectral evidence. The court did not try to disprove the witness or question them to a degree of certainty. The proof of innocence had to be proven from a court filled with guilty verdict decisions already made. Attempting to disqualify a witnesses testimony from a position of the accused was impossible.
In the 1600’s, New England Puritan country, a confession to an accusation of suspected witchcraft was the only way to survive. Those who chose the not guilty route were hung or died waiting for their court date in jail. A confession and remorse puts the accused at the mercy of the court and gives the court what they want, their truth. It was the only option to live with and was shown in records to be true from those who confessed and lived. Those who pled not guilty died or waited in jail. In the case of Tituba, the house maid who confessed and turned against the two women on trial with her, Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn. They both died and Tituba lived until her disappearance after she was granted bail then sold to a new owner for work. She wasn’t seen or heard from again. The amount of accusations and people jailed was significantly higher than the amount that died in the Salem witch trials possibly attributed to the factor in this case, admitting guilt when they were innocent.
The methods of death at the Salem witch trials were by hanging, in jail, and by press. While they were many false accusers, it was perhaps the youngest ones who seemed the most affected. Nine-year old Betty Parris and her eleven-year old cousin Abigail Williams, appeared with what their family claimed signs of demonic afflictions. They later believed their house maid Tituba, was evil and had caused the afflictions on the children.
In October 1692, the pressure from ministers, their wives, and families were surrounding Governor Phips. Wives of prominent ministers were being accused of witchcraft including his own wife. His advisor, Increase Mather gave him advice after stepping away from the trials, Courts of Oyer and Terminer. Mather stated “It were better that ten suspected witches should escape, than that one innocent person be condemned”, (Emerson, paragraph 26). On October 12, 1692 Governor Phips wrote the crown informing them for the first time of the witchcraft issue at hand. On October 29, 1692 in a conversation with the legislature Governor Phips concluded that the Courts of Oyer and Terminer must fall. Many people still believed witchcraft was present and there was a need for discipline but the court was finishing its role. In January 1693, the Supreme Court of Judicature granted to those people left waiting in the jail condemned but not executed a pardon authorized by governor Phips. All the rest had their charges dismissed or acquitted except for the few who confessed and they were pardoned. The Salem Witch Trials were officially complete.
The Salem witch trials were a horrific persecution that effected many people of different types, ages, races, and in the end religions. Perhaps that is why the end came when it did, it crept too close to the religion it was supposed to be protecting. The very collapse of government was at hand momentarily because of these claims. The most interesting yet sad thing I found in this research was the suffering the people went through. The mental health illnesses that many suffered yet were looked at as victims of afflictions from witchcraft and the penalties and death of those who were labeled as witches. To have to be tested for our values, strengths, and religious beliefs today? I guess we already are aren’t we.