Salem Witch Trials
Turning Point in History
Have you ever heard a rumor? A rumor is a statement or story that is shared
among people which may or may not be true. Sometimes rumors are so untrue
that they seem unimaginable. Some rumors can cause misunderstandings, and
some can even be dangerous if they are mean-spirited.
In early America, a group of young girls in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
spread terrible rumors about other people. The girls said that they had been
possessed by the devil. Today, rumors like this would probably be dismissed.
But in the religious society of early colonial America, witchcraft was a very
serious accusation. The colonists believed the rumors, and the Salem witch
trials began. The trials lasted only a few months, but in that short time 20
people were put to death and others died in jail waiting for trial. What
happened in Salem at the end of the 1600s changed how the British colonies
were governed.
The First Accusations
In January 1692, a group of girls in Salem
became ill. They were having mysterious
fits, but the doctors could not find anything
physically wrong with them. Local clergy
began to suspect witchcraft. The girls said
witches had trapped them under a spell.
They accused three women: Tituba, Sarah
Good, and Sarah Osborn. Tituba was the
slave of a local preacher who had moved to
Salem from the Caribbean. She was an
First page of Cotton Mather’s book
outsider in the community. The other two
Memorable Providences Relating to
women were also outsiders by Salem’s
Witchcraft and Possessions. The book
was popular during the time of the Salem
viewpoint. Good was a beggar, and Osborn
witch trials and is believed to have inspired
was an older woman who had stopped
some of the paranoia of the time.
attending church. It’s likely that the girls
named the three women as witches because
they did not conform to Salem’s religious structure.
At first, all three accused women denied any involvement with witchcraft.
However, after a long questioning period, Tituba confessed to being a witch.
Tituba was put in jail, but because she confessed, she was not tried for a crime
and her life was spared. The other two maintained their innocence. Sarah
Osborn died in prison, and Sarah Good was hanged.
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Salem Witch Trials
Turning Point in History
The girls continued naming witches even after the three women were tried.
More and more people were arrested and imprisoned. At one point, about 150
people were in jail, awaiting trial. The town of Salem set up a special court to try
those accused of witchcraft. Hysteria swept over the town—no one was safe
from the girls’ accusations, not even small children! Nineteen accused witches
were found guilty and hanged. In addition, another man was killed when he was
buried under a pile of stones. His crime? Refusing to admit any wrongdoing.
The Governor Steps In
The governor of Massachusetts, William Phips, became concerned with the
number of people being imprisoned because he believed that many of them
were innocent. He was right. The people found guilty of witchcraft were not
witches at all. Historians have suggested many theories to explain why the
witch trials affected so many people. Perhaps they were victims of mass hysteria
created by rumors. The people of Salem really believed that evil spirits, the
devil, and witches were in their colony. Other historians suggest that the
underlying cause of the witch trial events involved the class divide between the
farmers and merchants. Frustrated farmers who resented the wealthy
merchants were eager to identify innocent people as witches. The trials may
also have been also connected to the political and religious climate of the town.
Salem Town and Salem Village competed for money for their churches. If one of
the churches failed because all of its members were in jail, the other would get
more money to make improvements. Not only did the witch trials remove
people who did not conform to the religious views of the town or village church,
it allowed rival churches to get rid of each other!
This illustration shows the drama of the
witchcraft trials in Salem, Massachusetts
in1692.
Governor Phips pardoned everyone
who was found guilty of being a
witch. In October of 1692 all were
released from jail, including Tituba.
In all, 19 people had been hanged at
Gallows Hill, one person was
pressed to death, and at least four
died in jail. It’s hard to believe that
a few young girls started the
hysteria that led to the witch trials.
The damage they caused to the
town and colony was lasting. The
witch trials changed colonial
America. Afterward, morality
became a popular topic in colonial
writing. Author Increase Mather
wrote Cases of Conscience about
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Salem Witch Trials
Turning Point in History
the trials. Mather argued that the death of one innocent person was one death
too many.
As time passed, many of the colonists decided that the witch trials had gone too
far. A day of atonement was observed in the colony in 1697. Atonement means
taking steps to acknowledge wrongdoing. One of the judges, Samuel Sewall,
admitted that he had been wrong to take part in the trials. His acknowledgment
showed that leaders were not immune to mistakes. For example, even though
Governor Phips ordered the witch trials to end, he had allowed them to go on in
the first place. The Governor had appointed a court of judges to oversee the
trials. While he condemned the court later for a lack of order, it was clear that
the colonial government was not doing enough to protect innocent people.
Several years later, in 1711, a proclamation was issued restoring honor to the
accused, and their heirs received restitution. Restitution is a payment made to
help fix a wrong.
The Legacy of Salem
The Salem witch trials continued to influence the development of America.
Nearly 100 years later, American revolutionaries used the witch trials as an
example of the founding principles of America. Because people used logic and
ended the trials, revolutionaries pointed to the witch trials as a sign of cultural
and moral progress. Colonists came to view the residents of Salem as people
who persevered through tragedy. The new nation was no longer wild and
unexplored. It had endured a cultural disaster and survived without England’s
help.
The witch trials were also used as an example of extreme religious movements
during the Second Great Awakening religious revivals of the 1830s. During the
Second Great Awakening, religious fervor swept the nation. Many people spoke
out against the Great Awakening, saying that people were blindly following the
movement. They pointed to the Salem witch trials as a similar example of how
things can go badly when people unthinkingly follow trends. The trials were
used to warn people of the consequences of extreme religious views.
The Salem tragedy has not been forgotten by modern Americans. Today, any
instance of mass hysteria is often compared to the witch trials. The term witch
trial is a common metaphor for unfair persecution of a group through extreme
and irrational action. In 1953, playwright Arthur Miller brought the story of the
trials to life through his drama The Crucible. Written during an era of antiCommunist crusades, The Crucible brought the lessons of the Salem witch trials
into the 1900s. In the 1950s, the government began investigating the activities
of Americans who were rumored to be sympathetic to the Communist cause,
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Salem Witch Trials
Turning Point in History
even without evidence. Miller’s play brought the Salem witch trials and the
theme of persecution back into the public spotlight.
In 1957, the city of Salem dedicated memorials to the executed people who were
accused of witchcraft. The witch trials still stand as a historical example of what
can happen when rumors overtake logic and reason. There are still lessons to be
learned from the Salem witch trials, including the lesson that severe
consequences can come from disliking others who have different views. It’s an
important lesson, even today.
After reading the passage, answer the following questions:
1. The women first named as witches in Salem were
A. all friends
B. rich merchants in town
C. considered outsiders
D. offered money if they confessed to witchcraft
2. How were the events in the 1950s similar to the Salem witch trials?
A. They occurred only in Massachusetts.
B. Accusations were made without evidence.
C. They focused on witchcraft.
D. Very rich people were charged with crimes.
3. Why did people compare the Great Awakening to the Salem witch
trials?
A. The Great Awakening caused a second round of witch trials in
America.
B. The witch trials occurred because everyone followed the same
religion.
C. The Great Awakening also resulted in deaths.
D. Both involved religious beliefs that divided communities.
4. What lessons should people learn from the Salem witch trials? Use
examples from the reading passage to explain your answer.
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