Shae Turner

4/26/10

A Gothic Time in History: The History and Background of the Salem Witch Trials

            On the first day of our Early American Literature course we were asked to find something in the syllabus that we thought would interest us. My eyes fell upon the topic of the Salem Witch Trials, and there they rested. Throughout my scholastic years I have gotten the chance to briefly discuss this part of history, but I never really took the time to dig deeper and find the answers to some question that I still had. Fortunately, for my own interest, I got the chance to be the discussion leader over this topic, as well as I was able to see some aspects about this time that was a real eyebrow raiser for myself. The one aspect that really made this topic so interesting for me was the gothic element. Since the gothic is so richly embedded in this part of our past, it made this time in history seem very fictional. For this reason I would like to know about the history of the Salem Witch Trials, as well as what made them believe that the individuals accused were actually witches.

            As I started my research on this topic one internet source that really stood out to me was Wikipedia. Here, I found not only an array of information, but a very detailed amount of history over the Salem Witch Trials. According to Wikipedia, these hearings and executions occurred between February 1692 and May 1693. Even though they are well known as being trials that were held in Salem, the actual preliminary hearings took place in various towns across the province. But the well-known trials were conducted in the Court of Oyer and Terminer which was located in the actual Salem Town. One element that really stood out to me was the number of individuals that were actually accused and then convicted on the conspiracy of being a witch. Wikipedia states that over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned, but the number of people who were accused excelled this amount. These other individuals blamed for being a witch were not convicted, because they weren’t “formally pursued by the authorities”. Even though it is hard for me to grasp the idea of an individual being a witch, these people that were accused and sentenced, either went to prison and eventually were released, or they were executed or died while serving their time in prison. The executions of the witches varied slightly, but most were put to death by being hung. “One victim of the Salem witch hunt was not hanged, but rather pressed under heavy stones for two days until his death.” (Salem Witchcraft)

            Another source that interested me was Jess Blumberg’s article “A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials: One town’s strange journey from paranoia to pardon”, which I located on Smithsonian.com.  Blumberg discussed the “Struggling Salem”, thus giving insight on what actually tempted this town to believe that these individuals were really witches. Blumberg discusses how from the 1300s till the late 1600s the “witchcraft craze” rippled through Europe. These practicing Christians believed that the devil could give certain individuals the power to harm others, in return for their loyalty to him. This concept was also seen in The Wonders of the Invisible World and The Crucible when referring to the “book”; thus, it was said that the accused witches tried to make their victims sign the book, and when the individuals didn’t, they were tortured by the witch in questioning.

            “a little black-haired man came to her, saying his name was B. and bidding her set her       hand unto a book which he showed unto her; and bragging that he was a conjurer, above the ordinary rank of witches; that he often persecuted her with the offer of that Book, saying she should be well, and need fear nobody, if she would but sign it; but he inflicted          cruel pains and hurts upon her because of her denying so to do” (Mather)

            But referring back to this “witchcraft craze” in the Europe area it did actually come to a halt. Though as soon as it ended in this area, these theories spread like a disease to the town of Salem. Blumberg states that the war of 1689 between the English rulers and the American colonies was a factor in shaking up the society of Salem. Because of those that were displaced from this war it put a damper on their resources, which in turn then caused rivalry between families who had connections of wealth to the Port of Salem, and those who depended on agriculture. Another factor to the chaos in Salem was the issue over Reverend Samuel Parris who was the first ordained minister in Salem. Blumberg states that these aspects ( lack of resources and a Minister with a greedy nature) is what led to turmoil in Salem; because of this, the inhabitants of Salem believed that the devil was taking part in corrupting their society.

            Reverend Samuel Parris wasn’t only seen as corrupted for the reasons that he possessed, but also for the accusations that was placed on the women in his family. According to the website http://home.texoma.com/~adwignall/index.htm , Parris’s daughter Betty became peculiarly ill in the cold winter of February 1692.  “She dashed about, dove under furniture, contorted in pain, and complained of fever.” (Salem Witchcraft) In these days we would see the signs of being various mental issues, or even just a rare sickness; but during this time in Salem, these unusual signs were only seen as “the signs of the devil”. It wasn’t only Betty who began to act out in a strange manner, but it was also some of her playmates that possessed these odd behaviors. When the doctor William Griggs could not find a cure for these young girls, his reasoning for their actions was that it had to be some supernatural cause.

            Not only was it the bizarre actions that gave the society a reason to believe that these individuals were witches, but “victims” began to testify that the ones accused had actually been torturing them in some sort of fashion. During the hearings many testimonies that were heard were very grotesque and horrifying, which in turn is what makes the gothic element of this time play out. “There were such apparitions of ghosts testified by some of the present sufferers, and the ghosts affirmed that this Howe had murdered them.” (Mather) This was a testimony that was heard at Elizabeth Howe’s trial, and there were many others testimonies similar to this one that brought fear to the town of Salem, as well as portrayed the element of the gothic. Even though these allegations seemed so unreal, the individuals still were blamed as being a witch, and some even confessed to these insane claims against them.

            As a literature student, when coming in terms with either a topic or a piece of literature, there is always an ending or result that I like to find in order to come to have a complete understanding about what I am reading. In order to understand what happened after the Salem Witch Trails were over, I turned to the website http://www.salemwitchtrials.com/salemwitchcraft.html. This website clearly defined the “Aftermath” of this time in our past. It claims that even though the witch trials were over, there were still witches that were in jail because they could not pay their fines. On top of those that could not pay their expenses, those that were convicted, had their property taken by the government; thus leaving their families without the money that came from the productions made on it, as well as without a home. The trials also took a toll on the land of Salem and the surrounding provinces, because while these trials were going on they were unattended. This led to even fewer resources for the families and the town as a whole. These events also called for reorganization in the politics, as they declared that the Salem court committee was “derelict in their duties”. As a result of the Salem Witch Trials this source also claims that never again was a convicted witch executed in America.

            Through my research I have learned that the Salem Witch Trials were the result of paranoia, chaos in the system of their society, and unanswerable behaviors people all of a sudden began to possess. Also, the amount of individuals accused and convicted of these bizarre claims is a number that is unimaginable to me. I in part feel that their society need something to blame for the turmoil as well as something to entertain them through ruff times; thus continuing the theory of “witchcraft” that started in Europe, until it got to a point were they really believed it. (Just an opinion). Even though it is something that really happened here in America, it is a part of the past that is hard to come to terms with, since people were being killed and put in prison for something that seems so “far fetched”.

Work Cited

Blumberg, Jess. "A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials: One town’s strange journey from    paranoia to pardon." Smithsonian.com. Web. 24 Apr 2010.             <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/brief-salem.html?c=y&page=1>.

Mather, Cotton. The Wonders of the Invisible World. 1692.

"Salem Witchcraft." Web. 25 Apr 2010. <http://home.texoma.com/~adwignall/index.htm>.

"Salem Witch Trials." Wikipedia. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials>.

Sutter, Tim. "Salem Witchcraft: The Events and Causes of the Salem Witch Trials." Salem Witch Trials. 2003. Web. 25 Apr 2010.             <http://www.salemwitchtrials.com/salemwitchcraft.html>.