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The Salem Witchcraft Trials. The Beginning. Salem Village was settled in 1629 Colonies were not allowed to govern themselves Anyone accused of a crime would have to be tried by an official from England England declared witchcraft a capital crime in 1641
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The Beginning • Salem Village was settled in 1629 • Colonies were not allowed to govern themselves • Anyone accused of a crime would have to be tried by an official from England • England declared witchcraft a capital crime in 1641 • Early February 1692 Abigail Williams (11) and Elizabeth Parris (9), the niece and daughter of the town’s reverend, begin acting afflicted • Doctor suggests it may be the effects of witchcraft
The Accused • Tituba, the Parris’ slave, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne are arrested later in February for witchcraft • As the year progresses, more girls become “afflicted” and more men and women are accused and tried in the court of Oyer and Terminer under the rule of Hathorne and Corwin • Briget Bishop is first to be sentenced and hanged in June of 1692. 18 more people are hanged that year. • Giles Cory, 81, refuses to stand trial and is sentenced to death by pressing. It takes him two days to die. Up to 20 more died in prison.
“Witch Tests” • Floating test: accused was placed in position in which it was hard to breathe and rocks were tied to his/her ankles. He/she was thrown into water. If drowned, not a witch; if floated (or could swim) was a witch. • Pricking test: body of the accused was searched for blemishes or dark spots. Once found, these were pricked with a needle. Should accused feel no pain and/or the blemish not bleed, he/she was a witch • Lord’s Prayer test: accused would recite the Lord’s Prayer. It was believed that a witch would not be able to say entire prayer without stumbling or screaming
The Options of the Accused • Each accused person was given the option of confessing or claiming innocence and standing trial. • What would you have done? • http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/accused!.html
The End to the Hysteria • In October of 1692, Governor Phipps orders that spectral evidence (visions and claims from the afflicted) be no longer allowed in court • He prohibits any further arrests and dissolves the court of Oyer and Terminer • In January 1693, Phipps releases 49 of the 52 surviving accused due to lack of actual evidence • The remaining accused are pardoned in May of ‘93 • The General Court declares the 1692 trials unlawful in 1701
Possible Causes • Puritan culture had strong belief in Satan acting in the world • Disease, natural disasters, bad fortune • Believed Satan recruited witches to do his work for him and those who were afflicted would show certain symptoms • Previous trials in New England and Europe strengthened these beliefs • Teenage boredom • Old feuds • Confessions from “witches” created credibility to charges made earlier
The Red Scare and McCarthyism • The Red Scare took place shortly after WWII • Lasted from 1945-1957 approximately • People made accusations of disloyalty, subversion, and treason without proper evidence • Started when Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that over 200 “card-carrying” Communists had infiltrated the U.S. government before and during WWII
Fuel for the Fire • Fear of the hydrogen bomb being developed in the Soviet Union. • Accounts of Soviet spies and sympathizers in all levels of the government. • One of main jumping off points was the trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenburg. • Were accused of conspiracy to commit espionage during wartime and were executed. • Were said to have passed information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union
The Accused • Thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathizers • Were subjected to aggressive investigations and questioning before the government or private panels • Many people lost their jobs, had their careers ruined, or were even imprisoned. • They were released later from overturned verdicts, laws being declared unconstitutional, and dismissals based on the illegality of the trials. • Those accused included government officials, the entertainment industry, educators, and union activists.