LITR 4326 Early American Literature Research Posts 2016 (research post assignment) Research Post 1

Nona Olivarez

Accused, Trialed, and Persecuted: The Innocence of ‘Witchcraft’

The Salem witch trials remain fascinating to me, and not because there was real witchcraft taking place, but because there wasn’t. Still, people were accused, trialed, and persecuted due to said witchcraft with little legal evidence. So what led to 20 innocent people being sentenced to death and numerous others left destitute due to defamation? Perhaps, the explanation is “moral hysteria”, social change, or simply people were looking for someone to blame when things weren’t going well. Regardless of why these people believed witchcraft was actually taking place, the legalities in which the tried were accused remains the most bewildering part as little evidence other than hearsay existed, and furthermore, many of the accused were seen as guilty before even being tried. So much for innocent until proven guilty! The manner in which the court operated is less than adequate compared to the court system today. Due to this fact, in my research I plan to find information concerning how the accused were trialed and persecuted, and by what means, in comparison to modern court.

          I wanted to begin my research my doing some basic research concerning sociological aspects of the Salem witch trials because I think having an understanding of the moral panic that took place is important to understanding how they handled that hysteria in the court room. I found a few articles via UHCL criminology catalog in which I searched a sociological database. However, the article that quickly grabbed my attention is “Deep culture in action: resignification, synecdoche, metanarrative in the moral panic of the Salem witch trials” by Isaac Reed. Reed not only discusses moral panic within the Salem witch trials, but also moral panic that has taken place since, and further how moral panic becomes moral panic on a large scale. Moreover, Reed points out an obvious pattern in the people accused of witchcraft in the 17^th century, and that is the majority of them were women. Significantly, these women accused were usually outsiders as they didn’t fit into societal norms or women who had inherited property and challenged the patriarchy in any way. Later, the accused were really anyone of high status and wealth, however, these were never taken as seriously. This information displays the political underworking of court in 1962 which can be argued to still be seen today. In addition, a second article that strikes my interest is “Clergy, Discipline, and the Salem Witch-Hunt: Popular Stereotypes vs. 17th Century Ecclesiology” by Madeline Duntley. In the article, Duntley examines the church’s involvement in the Salem witch trials and the two types of excommunication that took place. I find this article revelatory because it considers the involvement of the church and the unconventional manner in which the church handled the accused. The fact that the church was involved in some form of punishment for the accused is not surprising since this was a Puritan community, but the unorthodox use of power to excommunicate without restitution is. More so, the fact that the church was even involved in the punishment of the accused in the first place differs immensely to the court system today, in which church involvement, as far as the trial goes, does not exist. Overall, upon researching sociological aspects of the Salem witch trials I am pleasantly surprised with my results as I found unique and thought-provoking articles that differed immensely from one another.

          The second aspect I wanted to focus my research on is the actual court proceedings that took place in Salem and how they compare to today’s court system. In the article, “Salem Witchcraft and Lessons for Contemporary Forensic Psychiatry”, by Susan Hatters Friedman and Andrew Howie, the forensic psychiatry of the trials is examined, which is something I was incredibly excited to learn about. The article proposes scientific evidence as a way to explain the strange fits of spasms residents of Salem experiences, and in addition to medical interpretations, the article provides psychiatric interpretations for the accusatory girls and the witch hunters. The information provided by this article makes me wonder how differently the Salem witch trials would have occurred if they had the scientific means we do now. Significantly, this article highlights a major difference in court trials that takes place today versus the trials of Salem, and that is what is viewed as substantial evidence. Lastly, the fourth source of my research is the book, “STATE TRIALS, V 2 - THE PUBLIC CONSCIENCE” by D. Thomas. Unfortunately, the book is not on hand at the library; however I did submit a book request, and so I am hoping the book will arrive at the library shortly. I am particularly excited to read this work because it supposedly contains an account of the Salem witch trials and then how that compares to state trials in England as a whole. Consequently, I am eager to see if the book is as helpful and informative as I hope it to be.

          Although I have not found a definite answer to my research, I have found a variety of information concerning my topic, which I believe will help me reach a substantial conclusion concerning the court system today and court system in 1692. So far I’ve learned the implications behind moral panic and how it comes about, the forensic psychiatry behind the Salem witch trials, and the degree of involvement the Puritan church had in punishing the accused. Furthermore, I learned the main difference between the court systems so far is evidence, and how that evidence is handled. I think I have a sufficient start but still I am looking forward to finding more information relevant to the legalities of court in Salem (1692) versus modern court. For my second report, I would like to switch up my method of research. I browsed through the Model Assignments and came across Stephen Rodwell’s post, “The Salem Witch Trials: How Mass Hysteria Gave Way to Common Sense.” I wish I would have looked at the model assignments from the beginning instead of the end because some of his findings are relevant to my research, and so for the next post I plan to use some of the sources he used.

Works Cited

Duntley, Madeline. "Clergy, Discipline, And The Salem Witch-Hunt: Popular Stereotypes Vs. 17Th Century Ecclesiology." Journal Of Religion & Abuse 7.2 (2005): 57-68. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.

Friedman, Susan Hatters, and Andrew Howie. "Salem Witchcraft And Lessons For Contemporary Forensic Psychiatry." Journal Of The American Academy Of Psychiatry & The Law 41.2 (2013): 294-299. Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.

Reed, Isaac. "Deep Culture In Action: Resignification, Synecdoche, And Metanarrative In The Moral Panic Of The Salem Witch Trials." Theory & Society 44.1 (2015): 65-94. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.

Thomas, D. "State Trials, V 2 - The Public Conscience." State Trials, V 2 - The Public Conscience (1972): SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.