Causes in salem

• What was distinctive about the religious situation in Salem Massachusetts?

  Puritans, who encouraged a Godly state, and wished for it to have theocratic institutions (church led)
• How did this contrast with the Anglican territories to the south?


  In the south, the Church of England was in charge
• When was a witchcraft law enacted in Massachusetts?

  1641
• Who was the first woman executed in the Massachusetts colony for witchcraft?


  Alse Young of Windsor
• How many had been accused of witchcraft prior to the salem witch trials?

  80
• How many were executed for witchcraft prior to the salem witch trials?

  17 altogether

  15 women

  2 men
• What book did Cottton Mathers write in the aftermath of the Boston possession case of 1688?


  Memorable Providences
• What had changed with regards to the Massachusetts colony charter in 1684?


  official democracy, theocracy from puritans
• When was the new charter introduced and what did it mean for the residents of salem?

  1691 - conformity to English law
• What war broke out in 1689?


  King Williams War
• How did King Williams War affect the colony?


  due to the war between the Natives, French vs English - caused refugees into salem
• How many residents were there in Salem Village?

  600
• Summary of the feud between the Putnams and the Porters


  The feud between the Putnam and Porter families in Salem was rooted in political, economic, and social conflicts. The Putnams, a wealthy and influential family with deep Puritan beliefs, clashed with the Porters, who were also prosperous but more commercially focused and somewhat more liberal in their views. Putnams wanted to severe ties whereas the porters wanted to keep ties
• What became the focus of the tensions in Salem village?


  Church ministers - as they wouldn't stay for long
• What sparked the initial accusations of witchcraft?

  Betty Paris and Abigail Williams being pinched and proded by spirits
• Who was Betty Paris father and Abigail Williams' uncle?


  Samuel Paris Minister of the church
• Why did Abigail live with her uncle?


  Refugee from King Williams War
• Who were initially accused as witches?

  Tituba, Obourne and Good
• What medical and psycholoigcal explanations have been put forward for the girls behaviour?

  hysteria, neuroses, small pox, ergotism
• What was the role of Tituba in the initial events in Salem?


  she was a slave women - 'owned' by Paris - and gave a witch cake to a dog to try and save the two girls
• Outline of the causes of the Salem Witch Trials:

  • Harsh Winter
  • Smallpox epidemic
  • War (1689) and high taxation
  • Change to the Charter/ loose of central control
  • Community tensions - Putnams and Porters/ Samuel Parris
  • Religious fervour - desire for a Godly state/ fear of the Devil
  • Confessions resulted in escalation of accusation
  • Ergotism, hysteria and or psychological causes
  • Witchcraft beliefs from the old countries - legislation 1641 + Boston case
• Between 1630 and 1642 how many Puritans left for the new world?


  10 000
• How many executed in Salem and adjacent towns for witchcraft?


  20 and 1 dog
• Political Situation is Salem:

  • In its early days - colony was ruled by a Charter Government
  • 1684 - this loose arrangement was altered and the colony was given Dominion status
  • King James II replaced in 1688 through the glorious revolution - King William and Queen Mary = new Charter
  • New Charter eroded the autonomy of the Massachusetts colony
  • Puritan leaders authority ignored by the Charter, hindered resolutions
  • Phips was the governor of the colony in 1692 - awat fighting so powers went to Stoughton
  • Stopped witch trials when he returned
• 1691 New Charter:

  • Puritans must conform to English law
  • There had to be religious toleration - Puritans disagreed the most
  • The right to vote was based on property ownership - not religious faith
  • Officials had to be appointed by the Crown
  • Governor could overturn local laws
• The loose connections with the mother country and the lack of formal government at local level created a degree of political instability and uncertainty which may have fostered a climate conducive to the persecution of witches
• Early European settlers misleadingly termed the Indigenous American people "Indians". Thus when native peoples were hostile to the settlers and fought to oppose the acquisition of land - resulting conflicts became known as the 'Indian' Wars
• Native American Threats:

  • First Indian War (1677-78) -> devastated towns across Massachusetts. In Salem, 1:10 men of fighting age had been killed. Colony must have felt vulnerable in the wake of the conflict
  • Second Indian War (1688-1697) -> fighting between Natives, French and English. Known as KING WILLIAMS WAR and was due to colonial aspirations and ambitions from the English.
  • winter 1692 - Native tribes raided many towns in New England - reports of massacres -> increased tensions
  • Puritans saw natives as godless
• How far was the Hostile Wabanaki Tribe from Salem and how did it impact Salem?


  50 miles. Refugees moved to Salem and told of the horrors and stories of massacres. Instability caused fear in Salem.
• Religious Situation:

  • Puritan world view saw the devil at work in the material world - if things went wrong then that was the evidence of the Devil's influence
  • aspired to be a Godly community where morality and conduct were strictly controlled
  • did not tolerate other religious denominations - hated the 1691 Charter
  • Puritans fled England to continue there devout beliefs
  • refused the Church of England - reign of Charles II
• Samuel Parris:

  • minister and was an outsider to salem
  • in his eyes the villager had not kept promises made when he had been engaged to minister Salem Village
  • created tensions by trying to increase his salaries, gain free firewood and buy his home
  • before the hunt - the villagers withheld his wages as they had felt that he had purchased unnecessary items
  • his sermons stressed that the church was under siege by the devil
  • Parris encouraged vilagers to locate and destroy witches - man of which he and his allies (the putnams) didn't like
• In a 1692 sermon, what did Parris declare?


  "as in our text John 6:10 there was one devil among his 12 disciples so in our churches, God knows how many devils there are"
• Who were the Putnams?


  Successful landowners who moved from England to Salem in 1634.
• Who were the porters?


  The richest family in Salem, who gained their wealth from agricultural operations, intrapreneurship and landowning
• Arising tension between the Porters and the Putnams:

  • 1672 - salem was granted the opportunity to build their own church
  • tensions began to rise due to some in Salem town wanting to build their own church and others disagreeing
  • Putnam and Porter families were seen as leaders of these two factions
• The Putnams and the Church 


  Supported the separation of Salem village and Salem Town. Believed the thriving merchants and economy of the town threatened their Puritan beliefs
• Putnam and their control of Salem village


  Putnams sought control over the church in Salem Village. In time this did occur
• What did the Porters want to achieve


  Against the separation of Salem Village and Salem Town. This is because they had close ties to the city's economy. However, they were outnumbered by the majority of the village as most wanted the farming village separate to the town
• Tensions heightened between the factions:

  • newly established church of Salem village only intensified the tensions
  • 1672 - Putnams filed a lawsuit against the Porters as their dam caused flooding of agricultural land
• When did the Porters take over control of the village committee from the Putnams?


  October 1691