The Great European Witch Hunt AND Salem Witch Trials

European Witch Hunts 14th-17th centuries Witches did not use magical powers to get what they wanted. Instead, witches were used by the Devil to do what he wanted. Pact with the devil Massive witch hunts began in Europe around the 14th century and continued through the 17th century. Occurred mainly in France, Italy, Germany and England…. During this period in time there was a heightened sense of God’s power and divine wrath as well as a change in what a witch was….. Witches did not use magical powers to get what they wanted. Instead, witches were used by the Devil to do In modern times a witch is though of as using magical forces…however, back then it was also considered as someone that made a pact with the devil. Said to: engage in wild sexual orgies with the Devil, steal communion wafers, steal babies to use in their rituals, and involved in an international conspiracy to overthrow Christianity- witchcraft became ‘spiritualized’ and witches became heretics, enemies of God.

How many people affected? Between the 1500’s-1600’s: Between 100,000-200,000 people were ‘officially’ tried for witchcraft and between 40,000 and 60,000 were executed. Between 75-85 % of those tried and executed were female…. Why? Why?—a general hatred towards women?, emphasis on a womens powerful sexual desire that could only be satisfied by a demonic lover? Women viewed as weaker so more likely to give into an offer by the Devil.

Who conducted witch hunts? Superstitious villagers Mob mentality Mass hysteria Spread of paranoia Change of attitudes The villagers used the witch hunts as a convenient and powerful tool to get rid of their imagined or real enemies. The authorities did not stop them….

Concrete Evidence Authorities needed proof “Malleus Maleficarum” Definition ‘devils mark’/’devils teats’ Inspect bodies Once accused…had to provide concrete evidence Authorities need tangible proof of witchcraft…proof that a pact had been made with the devil or spells had been cast. In 1486 a guidebook on how to find witches called “Malleus Maleficarum” (The Hammer of the witches) was published This book provided a definition of witchcraft and rules on how to investigate, try and judge the cases. The book stated that one sure sign of a witch was the ‘devil’s mark’ or ‘witch teats’. The book said to inspect the accused witches body….if the devil made pact with them they would have a mark on them that would not bleed or hurt if pierced.

Torture “Swimming a Witch” Strappado Justified Torture was justified in law King head of Church Witch rejected Church/King Witch guilty of treason Death “Swimming a Witch”…the water being pure would reject a witch…so would float if guilty and would sink if innocent. – Always a victim!! The “Malleus Maleficarum” also encouraged torture as a way to get a suspected witch to confess. Many brutal tortures….most popular was the strappado (stra-pa-do)…arms strapped/twisted behind back …long and extremely painful. Torture was justified in the eyes of the law….Crime of Church and State…. Because since Henry the VIII, the king was the supreme head of the church and your political leader…..if a witch rejected God and the church then they were rejecting the King…and this was treason…punishable by death! These European witch hunts continued throughout the 17th centuries and thousands of innocent lives were lost.

Puritans Sent by King Charles I of England Society based on Bible Created perfect society Always cautious of Satan Believed in witches Engaged in witch hunts In 1629 a group called the Puritans were chartered by King Charles the 1st of England to govern a Massachusetts colony and create a society based on the teachings of the Bible..a theocracy Their goal was to create the perfect/ideal community for an example for the world. Very intense. These Puritans were still British citizens and like ‘back home’ believed that witches existed and Satan was very real….always attempting to infiltrate their godly community and break down their godly way of life. Puritans engaged in witch hunts here in America just like they had done in England.

Salem, Massachusetts In 1692 500 people 6 miles from coast Wilderness surrounded by farming Feared forest-Indians/Satan First witch trial in Massachusetts was not in Salem…..it was in Charlestown in 1648. Midwife accused of witchcraft….She had a witches ‘teat’…she was hanged….and others followed… However, it would be forty years before a witch trial would capture wide spread public attention. The people of Salem, Massachusetts and the unique circumstances that they lived in 1692 made them particularly vulnerable to the idea of witches and a witch hunt of their own. Salem..500 lived there. 6 miles from coast…farming community…barely handing on…everyday hardships…political instability...Were in a wilderness area (surrounded by farms)….lived in constant fear of the forests dangers. - indians raids…or the devil….

Setting the stage for the witch hunts of 1692 Religious practices Expectations of women Small town Had very rigid religious practices. A Puritans belief, like those living in Salem was that a persons fate is predetermined by god before he or she is born. They would search for clues to find out if they were a member of the elect and would go to heaven or be damned to hell….. Constantly questioning themselves and others. Also at the core of Puritanism beliefs like those in Salem was misogyny- women were expected to be silent, docile helpmates to their husbands, and mothers to their children. Expected to be submissive to husband, Not in public-only at home….Not speaking, just listening….Compared to Eve in the Garden of Eden…constantly sought out things that they were not supposed to know about…. This influenced the future Salem witch trials…also influenced by it being such a small town…everyone talked…everyone heard everything.

The Group of Six Abigail Williams Elizabeth Parris Ann Putnam Jr. Mary Walcott Elizabeth Hubbard Elizabeth Booth Mercy Lewis Mary Warren…………………….and Tituba All began with the Reverend Parris and his wife traveling for a long period of time to visit others…not uncommon…Left their daughter Elizabeth Parris, 9 and her cousin, Abigail Williams, 11 in the care of an Carib (Car-reeb) Indian Slave named Tituba. Tituba would ‘entertain’ the girls by reminiscing about her childhood in Barbados. She began with tales involving magic and power and then as the girls got more interested in her stories she explained and demonstrated voodoo to the girls. They begin to tell their friends and eventually there was a group of 6 girls, ranging in age from 12-20 that would gather to listen to Tituba.

Even though the girls were excited and fascinated with what Tituba did and told them, they were very aware that it was strictly forbidden, in their religious, Puritan village…this led to extreme feelings of guilt in the girls. The girls were able to keep it a secret for a while but they could not mentally or physically deal with the guilt and began to act in strange ways: had fits, screamed, cried, threw objects, had trance experiences, felt prickled with pins and cut with knives. Wanted to commit suicide…had to cover their ears when the minister taught the word of god. This behavior was not acceptable behavior for young Christian girls in a Puritan community. How could these actions be explained?

The Identification of Witches Tituba Sarah Good Sarah Osborne The village physician was called to examine the girls but found nothing physically wrong with them…Therefore, it had to be spiritual (not mental?)….The girls, presumed innocent of course, were assumed to be under the power of a village witch. The people believed that a witch could seduce or tempt someone to become a witch themselves…this was concluded the explanation of the girls unusual behavior….this diagnosis was easily accepted….Now they just needed to find the witch… The girls were tirelessly questioned until they would identify the witch. Eventually, Elizabeth and Abigail named Tituba (As a slave, it was not suprising that she was accused)…However, it didn’t stop there…a town beggar, Sarah Good. Then they identified Sarah Osborne she was an old villager that was already disliked by the village. Both Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne did not attend church which put a mark on them both.

Pre-trial Spectral evidence Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne were assumed guilty after the reaction of the girls in the courtroom The 3 woman brought to court in a pretrial to see if there was enough evidence to go to trial for witchcraft. The magistrates accepted all kinds of evidence, including ‘spectral evidence’…This was evidence that the accused appeared to the persons being tormented in the form of a specter…sometimes it would take the shape of a bird or sometimes it would be a specter of the person…The specter could only be seen by the person making the accusation and would bite, hit, them…etc…Others could not see the specter!!! Several of the girls first accused Sarah Good of appearing to them as a specter…When Sarah Good denied the accusations, the girls would scream out and have fits….they claimed that her specter was attacking them even then in the courtroom. This was perceived as strong evidence of their guilt. Same happened when they questioned Sarah Osborne….

Unexpected results from Tituba Next Tituba was brought in and to everyone's surprise she admitted to witchcraft! Was going to tell the officials what they wanted to hear. After a long period of badgering and questioning she finally said “The devil came to me and bid me serve Him.” For 3 days Tituba she gave detailed accounts of what the Devil wanted her to do. She also claimed a tall man from Boston bade her to sign the Devil’s book in blood. She was asked how many names were in the book…She said there were nine…hers, Sarah Goods, Sarah Osbornes and six others that she could not see. This sent panic throughout the village…her statement meant that six of them were witches…. Paranoia followed…neighbors turned against each other…as well as family members…there was hysteria

Split in Salem Arrest of Rebecca Nurse Petition More than 100 arrested Number of accused Something had to be done in Salem Salem was poisoned and accusations began to spread. There was one major change in the accusations….the first accused had been of low status in the village…..Those who were now being accused where upstanding members of the community. Finally, Rebecca Nurse was arrested….she was the most unlikely of anyone in the town to be a witch and therefore, her arrest reflected a split in Salem. Some supported her, others did not. 39 people signed a petition on her moral character to try and prevent the arrest. More than 100 men and women arrested…even 4 year old Dorcas Good….daughter of Sarah Good…..Dorcas confessed to be with her mom in jail….Both of Rebecca Nurses sisters joined her in jail….. Number accused began to swell and it was clear that something had to be done in Salem….

Hangings Begin The accusations, depositions, inquiries, and pre-trials now move to an official trial…..In June of 1692…. First called was Bridget Bishop….well known, property owner, well liked,…but had been accused of witchcraft in the past….therefore, had ‘stained’ her reputation. Court found her guilty…she was hanged 8 days later at Gallows Hill in Salem. Trials continued….news spread and girls reactions got more dramatic…girls would even copy the people…creepy! Ironically, a confession of witchcraft was the one sure way to avoid the trials….in Puritan society, a confession put a person in the hands of god….it was up to god to forgive them of their sins. 55 of the approximately 200 accused took this way out. Girls continued…..they began to spread their accusations outside of Salem to surrounding areas. The girls fed off of the unexpected attention given to them….they were in a position that was very unusual for a woman to be in for Puritan society….position of power…..control…. They are ‘rock star’ famous in their time….The words of these girls sent more, and more people to their death. In July of 1692, 5 women including Sarah Good and Rebecca Nurse were hanged on Gallows Hill…..then 5 more….then 8 more….etc…. 24 would lose their lives.

Terror Continues One man refused to plea guilty or not guilty because he knew they couldn’t continue the trial until he did…Therefore he had stones placed upon him and he was “pressed to death”…This was done in order to “press” the truth out of him. Rock after rock trying to get a response from him….chest eventually crushed… Death not the worst that could happen to accused witches….expelled from the church…..considered pariahs in society….marked for life….. By fall of 1692 attitudes towards the girls that started all of this finally began to change….

Attitudes change Their accusations had become too outrageous for the authorities to support. Started to accuse those that were not usually thought of as witches such as men, children, and high class society….people started doubting them. Rumor spread that the girls were about to accuse the mayor and the governors wives of witchcraft…now they had gone too far… Governor decided that spectral evidence which claimed the lives of those in the past, was no longer allowed. 40 prisoners released and Tituba was sold back into slavery.

5 years passed before the community of Salem began to recognize its grievous mistakes. In January of 1697 a day of public fasting was held at salem to ask gods forgiveness for past sins. Judge and jurors asked for public forgiveness… In 1706 Anne Puttnam Jr….one of the most vocal of the girls, faced her peers in the church. She was now 26 and Ann blamed the devil for having deluded her and causing her to take innocent lives. She was the only accuser ever to apologize for her actions. In 1711, the state of Massachusetts reversed the verdict of 20 out of 30 of the accused witches and paid them restitution. It wasn’t until 1957 that the guilt sentence on the remaining nine people was reversed.

Questions remain…??? Why did the girls claim that witches afflicted them? Were they acting or did they genuinely believe what they were saying? Now innocent until proven guilty. The questions remain: Why did the girls claim that witches afflicted them? Were they acting or did they genuinely believe what they were saying? For the last 250 years the popular opinion is that the girls were making it all up.-did for sport, attention, focus of community, fun Others believe that the girls really thought they were possessed when accusing people. Another theory is that some people would profit by accusing their neighbors of witchcraft…gain land….gain others fortunes…. We will never know…. This event changes the idea that people are guilty until proven innocent….Now the American society would develop with the belief that you are innocent until proven guilty.

Video clips http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/story/story.html summary of lecture First 4 minutes of Salem Witch Trials movie….What girls claimed to see….example of the hysteria / reactions to the girls accusations. Then show the Crucible…start at 28 minutes…based on theory that all started when the girls were caught dancing in the woods, doing a spell that Tituba taught them….. Tituba admits guilt to stop being whipped….then attitude changed towards her so she played along with it…..accuses others… girls follow along with it…stop at 34 minutes

Sources Books   Beyond the Burning Time by Kathryn Lasky (Scholastic, 1996)   The Devil in Massachusetts by Marion L. Starkey (Doubleday, 1949)   The Devil in Salem Village: The Story of the Salem Witchcraft Trials by Laurel Van der Linde (Millbrook Press, 1992)   I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Conde (University Press of Virginia, 1992)   In the Days of the Salem Witch Trials by Marilynne K. Roach (Houghton Mifflin, 1996)   Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases: 1648-1707 edited by George L. Burr (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1914)   Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum. (Harvard University Press, 1974)   The Salem Witchcraft Papers edited by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum. (Da Capo Press, 1977)   Web Sites   Witchcraft in Salem Village http://etext.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/ This site provides a wealth of primary source documents, from trial transcripts to rare books, and historical maps of Salem Village. Also features a helpful Q&A with the town archivist for Danvers (formerly Salem Village).   Famous American Trials: Salem Witchcraft Trials 1692 http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm Find a chronology of events, images, select trial transcripts and petitions, biographies, excerpts from Cotton Mather's Memorable Providences, and more.   Salem Witchcraft Hysteria (National Geographic) http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/salem Experience the events of 1692 through the eyes of an accused witch.   Map of Salem Village: Witchcraft Accusations http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/~bcr/salem/salem.html An interactive map showing the locations of the accused and the accusers, as well as major roads, rivers, townships, and households.   The Salem Witch Trials 1692: A Chronology of Events http://www.salemweb.com/memorial/ A brief timeline of the events of 1692 in Salem Village