Salem Witch Trials

Salem witch trials were a number of hearing and prosecutions of over 200 people accused of practicing witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. During these trials 20 people were executed. There are two primary factors that contributed to the Salem hysteria. The first is religious and the second is economic. This paper will examine the background of the witch trials and analyze the root causes; those being primarily religious and economic as well analyze the events of the trials.

Colonial Christians as many Christians before them shared a strong belief that the Devil lived amongst them. The Devil could bestow certain individuals, witches, with the power to harm others at the cost of their soul. These beliefs originating in the 1300s in Europe created a witch hysteria that lasted until the end of the 1600s (Godbeer, 2011). Thousands of witches, primarily women, were accused of witchcraft and executed. The Salem trials occurred at the end of this craze. The local population was also exacerbated by King William's War.

In 1689, King William and Mary began a conflict with France in the colonies, which devastated portions of upstate New York, Nova Scotia and Quebec. Colonists from these war torn regions traveled to Essex County, especially to Salem Village (Godbeer, 2011). The refugees caused a strain on Salem's resources. This strain led to increased tension among prominent families whose wealth was linked to the port or agriculture. Salem Village's Reverend Samuel Parris was also unpopular because he was deemed too strict and greedy (Godbeer, 2011).

The colonists blamed the Devil for the bickering occurring in the village. It is in this climate that in January of 1692, that Elizabeth Parris (Reverend Parris's daughter), age 9, and his niece Abigail Williams, age 11, began having "fits" (Roach, 2013). The girls had vicious contortions and overwhelming outbursts of screaming. They made strange noises and bent into odd positions, the local doctor, William Griggs, diagnosed the girls to be under the influence of witchcraft.

Other girls started experiencing the same symptoms such as Ann Putnam Jr., Mercy Lewis, Elizabeth Hubbard, Mary Walcott and Mary Warren (Roach, 2013). On February 29, under the influence of magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne, the girls accused three women: Tituba, the Parris' slave from the Caribbean; Sarah Good, a beggar; and Sarah Osborne, an elderly poor woman (Roach, 2013). The trial began March 1, 1692, all but Tituba pleaded innocent. Tituba confessed and claimed there were other witches within the community.

This cascaded a series of accusations, people like Martha Corey, Sarah Good's 4-year-old daughter, and eventually, Bridget Bishop. Bishop was known for her gossip and promiscuity and despite her pleas of innocence, she was found guilty and on June 10th, was the first person hanged on Gallows Hill (Roach, 2004). Several more people were hanged or executed after Bishop. The rate of executions caught the attention of minister Cotton Mather who wrote a letter to the court asking the court not to accept spectral evidence. Spectral evidence was testimony about dreams.

Even Mather's father, Increase Mather, also spoke against spectral evidence. Governor Phipps, responding to Mather's request and his own wife's inquisition, ceased further arrests and released the accused witches. On January 14, 1697 a day of fasting was ordering for the misfortune of Salem (Roach, 2004). It was not until 1711, that Massachusetts passed a bill restoring the rights and good names of the accused (Roach, 2004). The trials reached the level of hysteria as it did because of the superstitious nature of the community and its leaders.