Salem_Witch_Trials

The Witch Debacle of 1692 Over 300 years ago there were many unknowns, and unexplainable situations and events that occurred throughout the world. Scientists and philosophers had not yet figured out many occurrences in the world that did not appear “normal”; this is what I believe the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 to 1693 stemmed from. The Salem Witch Trials were a series of trials that look place in New England, more specifically in Massachusetts. On trial were people, mostly women, which were being accused of “witchcraft”. All 26 people who were sent to trial were found guilty and convicted of their crime. I believe what caused this whole fiasco, was the ideas of religion, believing in the presence Satan, and also not understanding natural phenomena. Anytime there was a situation that seamed somewhat freakish or was unexplainable, the blame would then be put on a possible witchcraft plot. This was an era of misguided speculation and superstition. The Salem Witch Trials epidemic all started in Essex county of Massachusetts, when two girls under the age of 11 and one women 39 years of age starting to throw fits and act very strangely. After visiting three different doctors it was said, “they were in the hands of evil.” Docs(10,11,91) After this was made public the county found itself in the middle of a Witch craze. Soon citizens with personal antagonisms that had gone on between neighbors accused one of witchcraft. Docs(22,24,25,49,60) In a scenario, an exchange of goods between neighbor A and neighbor B went awry; neighbor A felt aggrieved and became angry. In the weeks, months, or even years that followed, neighbor B’s family suffered a series of misfortunes and became convinced that neighbor A was talking revenge by using occult forces against them. Docs(46, 50) From what I understand from these documents when a you had a feud on your hands, and for lack of better words it ends poorly for someone they would they accuse the other of witchcraft because at this point in history it was filled with superstition. They believed that someone could not perform these mishaps or even fate was a part of anything, but it was that they had the “power of Satan in them”, and that they were “hell-hands”. Doc (6) In this time the Puritans actually believed that Satan was releasing a “devilish assault on the region” at this time because everyone believed that when they had miss-fortune it was a nearby witch. Docs (6-9) During the height of all the accusations, there were 150 men and women formally accused. 28 of these were convicted, 19 were hung for their actions, and 1 was stoned to death for punishment. The most interesting part about this is actually that it was not upper class accusing the poor or vise-versa, but instead it did not matter your place in society to who was being convicted. Bridget Bishop was the first to be convicted and soon hung for her “witchcraft”. She was accused of witchcraft because she was an easy target, her behavior was not agreed on with much of the community, she often hosted late night drinking parties and gambling parties, she was with the “wrong crowd”. However a more serious account against Bridget was when she hired two men to work on her cellar, and they found “poppits”. These are dolls that have pins pushed into them; they are often associated with witches. Bridget Bishop was hung for her witchcraft acts on June 10. Docs (42-51) Many women were convicted of witchcraft instead of men, in fact 76% of those that were convicted were women. The other 24% that were male were either married to or closely associated with an accused witch. This is the suspect by association or the term that we used often now a day, “guilty by association”. As historian Elizabeth Reis has pointed out, “colonists shared with their English brethren the belief that women’s bodies were physically weaker than men’s” and that therefore “the Devil could more frequently and successfully gain access to and possess women’s souls.”(Page. 11) In the 15th century women were not treated as equals, and when women acted up and tried to be equals they were instantly labeled and accused of witchcraft, and that they must be a witch. Church was the cornerstone of everyone’s lives during this time period, it is the main reason most people came to New England. Puritans were expected to live their lives by a very strict code, in fact “they believed that all sins—from sleeping in church to stealing food—should be punished. They also believed God would punish sinful behavior. When a neighbor would suffer misfortune, such as a sick child or a failed crop, Puritans saw it as God’s will and did not help.” “Puritans also believed the Devil was as real as God. Everyone was faced with the struggle between the powers of good and evil, but Satan would select the weakest individuals—women, children, the insane—to carry out his work. Those who followed Satan were considered witches.”[1] This is how religion created the Salem witch trials, and what their beliefs were at this time. Many of these thought and beliefs of Satan and hell is because on their religion and the lack of knowledge about natural phenomena. Out of 26 women, and five men were convicted, only 19 were executed (all men were executed). The remaining admitted to a crime under pressure in hopes to save their lives, they succeed but were forced to help the government identify other witches. Docs(77-80) The Salem Witch Trials ended when the Boston jails started to get overflown and a new charter arrived from England, and they were no longer allowed to convict on “spiritual evidence”. This then put all the trials to sleep, and new government was established. Docs (86,95) In conclusion after reading The Salem Witch Trials in its entirety, and researching extensively the trials and also the role of women in Puritan society, and the beliefs of the Puritans during this time period. I believe that the ideas of witchcraft and accusing other citizens of witchcraft was the ideas of religion, believing in the presence Satan, and also not understanding natural phenomena. During the 1690 the country had not even won its peace yet, and was still going through a birthing stage and the citizens of the new lands, and also the country itself had not experience tough times, and lack of government, and no real authority. Religion was running freely in America and people were free to think whatever they want, and many crazy ideas came about along with the lack of knowledge at this time period. This is when ideas of Satan, and he being in people to have is devil hands on earth, surfaced in the new world and no real form of government could make sense of the situations. This is just one of the problems that America ran into on its way to declare independence.