Salem Witch Trials

The Salem Witch Trials

•  In the 17th century Danvers was known as Salem

Massachusetts.

•  The Salem Witch Trials lasted from June of 1692 to September of 1692.

•  By the end of the trials 150 people had spent time in jail and 24 innocent people were killed.

The Salem Witch Trials

•  The trials began with 11 year old Abigail Williams and 9 year old Elizabeth Parris.

•  These girls acted in a manner that was strange to the Puritans of the time.

The Salem Witch Trials

•  Abigail Williams was Elizabeth’s cousin. Elizabeth Parris was the daughter of the town minister.

•  Abigail and Elizabeth were not allowed to have toys or play like most children of the time would, this was seen as idleness and sinful.

•  Instead the girls were encouraged to concentrate on chores and studying bible verses.

The Salem Witch Trials

•  At night Abigail and Elizabeth would spend their nights by the fire with Reverend Parris’s slave Tituba (from Barbados).

•  Tituba entertained the girls with magic, fortune telling and story telling from her homeland.

•  This was forbidden by Puritan law.

The Salem Witch Trials

•  Abigail and Elizabeth began acting strangely: speaking in tongues and having wild convulsions.

•  The village doctor was called in, he was sure the girls were victims of witch craft.

•  One Sunday in January as the Reverend began his sermon the girls in town fell into a fit.

The Salem Witch Trials

•  The town concerned for the girls asked who had cast a spell on them.

•  Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne were named.

•  Tituba, a slave. Sarah Good, a homeless woman. Sarah Osborne a woman who had married her servant.

The Salem Witch Trials •  When placed on trial both Sarah’s maintained

their innocence, Tituba however claimed there were other witches in Salem.

•  This admission started the wave of hysteria that engulfed Salem.

•  Behind this paranoia were Elizabeth and Abigail. The hysteria was being controlled by two young girls.

The Salem Witch Trials

•  Many of those accused were prominent members of the Salem community.

•  Many of these characters are seen in the play The Crucible.

Traits of a witch…

•  Dancing

•  Reading

•  Not conforming to Puritan law

•  Not getting along with your neighbor

•  Spending time alone

•  Writing

The Accusation Process

•  One of the girls would become afflicted and make a claim that someone in town was a witch. Other towns people occasionally would do this as well.

The Accusation Process

•  The Magistrate issues a warrant for the arrest of the accused person. With the only evidence being the accusation by the girls or other townspeople.

The Accusation Process

•  The accused person is taken into custody and examined by Magistrates. If, after listening to testimony, the Magistrate believes that the accused person is guilty, the accused is sent to jail to await trial.

The Accusation Process

•  The case is presented to the Grand Jury (fellow townspeople). Statements relating to the guilt or innocence of the accused are entered into evidence.

The Accusation Process

•  If the accused is judged to be guilty by the Grand Jury, he or she is tried before the Court of Oyer (to hear) and Terminer (to decide). A jury, instructed by the Court, decides the defendant's guilt.

The Accusation Process

•  The convicted defendant receives his or her sentence from the Court. In each case at Salem, the convicted defendant was sentenced to be hanged on a specified date.

The Accusation Process

•  The Sheriff and his deputies carry out the sentence of death on the specified date.

If you were accused…

Flee Salem!

If you were accused…

Accuse someone else

If you were accused…

Get pregnant

If you were accused…

Confess, even though you’re

innocent

If you were accused…

Plead innocence and await trial

If you were accused…

Refuse to stand trial and await the

consequences

Some Theories of what actually happened…

1.  Mold on rye bread contain a hallucinogenic chemicals have been blamed for many historical incidents.

2.  The girls were playing a prank that went too far and then they didn’t know how to stop it without getting into trouble

3.  The girls were plain evil 4.  The townspeople hated each other, and old feuds

helped keep the witch trials going 5.  Its all Tituba’s fault. By her admitting she was a

witch she caused the hysteria to continue and seem real.