Table of contents

Preface  P.  3

1.  Chronology of events  3

2.  The Salem setting: political and economic conditions  4

3.  Puritan faith and religious bigotry  5

4.  The Trial of Martha Carrier at the Court of Oyer and Terminer  10

4.1  The end of the trial  11

Conclusion  P.  11

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Preface

The outbreak of religious bigotry in 17 ^th century New England bothers historians, sociologists and theologians to find out where the motivation lay to accuse neighbours and finally put them to execution. This work will sum up the most important attempts to explain the causes as well as it will attempt a kind of focussing on the picture of the world as recognized by members of puritan faith. After a short summary of the events in winter 1692 I will first focus on social and economical circumstances during the second half of the seventeenth century. Chapter 3 will focus the puritan world-view and matters of discussion of theologians and philosophers. Chapter 4 sums up the accusations that were stated during the trials of Martha Carrier in 1692 as a showcase.

1. Chronology of events

Since positions like town leaders became increasingly unpopular within the mercantile elite of Salem during the 1680ies the most influential citizen of Salem invited Samuel Parris, a former rather unsuccessful farmer in Barbados, to serve the position of a village minister. During the exceptionally cold winter of 1692 the daughter of Samuel Parris became ill. Since the symptoms could not be analysed he got a quite new book from his library, the “Memorable Providences, Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions” written by Cotton Mather, minister of the Old North Church in Boston. Taking an old Irish washerwoman as an example, Mather described symptoms of witchcraft and few of these symptoms Parris recognized resembled the ones of his daughter. With an Indian war raging less than 70 miles away evil seemed to be near for the citizens of the puritan New World and apocalyptic literature was widely read and discussed. When playmates of Betty were also affected by the symptoms and the medicine of doctor William Griggs could not cure them he suggested a supernatural origin. As victim of suspicion the Indian servant of the family, who was known to tell the girls of omens and voodoo rites from her native culture, was accused for having used her witchcraft to rule over the girls. Since a short time later seven girls were affected by falling into strange poses, biting and pinching, historian Peter Hoffer concluded that the girls "turned themselves from a circle of friends into a gang of juvenile delinquents." ¹ Asked for their tormentor the girls named Tituba, Sarah Good, a local beggar and Sarah Osborn an old woman who was quarrelsome and not been seen in the church for over a year. The Putnams, whose daughter was also “infected” brought the case to the county magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne whose examinations began at 1 ^st March 1692. Since public interest was big and the tavern was crowded the examinations were moved to the public meeting house. The girls swore they were haunted by the witches’ spectres and other witnesses provided stories of milk gone bad when one of the accused appeared. After some time Tituba confessed that she spoke to a man, maybe Satan, who wanted her to sign in a book and work for him. In April Mary Warren accused the accusing girls for telling lies concerning their

¹ Hoffer

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visitations but rejected after Titubas confession. That confession gave way for the beginning of a hunt for witches and accusations of women who were thought to have done something supernatural. A four year old child was arrested for eight months because one of the seven witnesses swore that she was bitten by the spectre of the child. More and more women were accused of using witchcraft and many confessed since they hoped to relieve their punishment. In May 1962 the Court of Oyer and Terminer started its work under leadership of William Stoughton. In June 1692 Bridget Bishop was the first victim of a wave of executions. In July and August 10 persons were found guilty of using witchcraft and were sentenced to be hanged. In September 23 further persons were judged and Giles Corey was tortured to death. Due to criticism concerning the trials Governor Phips decided in October to prohibit further detentions and a few days later he suspended the Court of Oyer and Terminer. In November 1692 the Superior Court was appointed and adjudged only three of 65 arrested accused persons. The scrutiny of spectral evidence was given up and Phips pardoned eight adjudged who were waiting for their execution and freed all still arrested persons. 2

2. The Salem setting: political and economic conditions

Roger Thompson points out that witchcraft accusations were quite common during the seventeenth century in New as well as in old England. In 1645 and 1646 self styled “Witchfinder General” Matthew Hopkins accused several persons and Connecticut also had its witchcraft trials in the 1650s. As one basis for these religious excesses Roger Thompson defines the adverse effects of King Philip’s War that had begun on 24 ^th June 1675. Although the foe in shape of Metacom, leader of the Indian tribe of the Wampanoags, could be defeated at Mount Hope on 12 ^th of August 1676, the war was a disaster for New England citizens. It had lasted seventeen months and 10% of all male inhabitants had been killed, twelve settlements had been wiped out and another forty damaged. The loss of manpower had wasted thousands of acres of agricultural land and had withdrawn people from labour force. The war fomented resentments against Indians, no matter which tribe or religion. To most military leaders only a dead Indian was a good Indian and despite all the Christian and friendly Indians the public suspected them to be smugglers, misleaders of troops or double agents. ³ Critics like Daniel Gookin, the Massachusetts Superintendent of Indians, who called upon the public to show faith to the Indian servants were abused and called “son of a whore” or betrayers of their own country. On 27 ^th February 1676 Gookin was almost killed in an assassination attempt. The missing of discipline and respect for local authorities were widely recognized. Another basis for upheaval can be seen in the enormous wages public had to provide for the costs of war: a population of 6000 male individuals had to afford ₤150,000. This money was collected through taxation and especially young men felt that they had to fight and pay for the war. In the aftermath of the war courts had to deal with poverty and disruption of families; after

² Boyer/Nissenbaum, p. 1ff

³ Thompson, p. 83

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