CA - Salem Witch Trials Lesson

Salem Witch Trials

The discussion for this module will ask you to consider the Salem Witch Trials and their place in New England Puritan Society. Begin by reading this summary of the witch trial from Boundless.

In 17th-century colonial North America, the supernatural was part of everyday life, and there was a strong belief that Satan was present and active on Earth. This concept had emerged in Europe around the 15th century and spread to North America when it was colonized. Some theorize that accusations of witchcraft were a way of addressing pagan charms used for agriculture and domestic success. In time, those charms became associated with demons and evil spirits.

The first accusations of witchcraft in America came in 1645, in Springfield, Massachusetts. Husband and wife Hugh and Mary Parsons accused each other of witchcraft. Hugh was found innocent, while Mary was acquitted of witchcraft but sentenced to be hanged for the death of her child. She died in prison. From 1645 to 1663, about eighty people throughout the Massachusetts Bay Colony were accused of practicing witchcraft, and thirteen women and two men were executed.

The most famous witch trials in American history, however, took place from February 1692 to May 1693 in and around coastal settlements near Salem, Massachusetts. The first accusations came from young girls who believed they were being tormented physically and mentally by the supernatural machinations of several older women in the community. Those women were brought before the magistrate and interrogated; those who refused to confess to witchcraft were sentenced to death. Accusations and arrests quickly spiraled out of control.

Before the hysteria ended, over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned, with even more accused who were not formally pursued by the authorities. The two courts convicted 29 people of the capital felony of witchcraft. Nineteen of the accused, 14 women and 5 men, were hanged. One man who refused to enter a plea was crushed to death under heavy stones in an attempt to force him to do so. At least five more of the accused died in prison.

Many theories have been advanced to explain the trials, including greed, revenge, social conflict, and possibly hallucinogenic-tainted food. The episode is one of the most famous cases of mass hysteria, and has been used in political rhetoric and popular literature as a vivid cautionary tale about the dangers of isolationism, religious extremism, false accusations, and lapses in due process.

 

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