Salem Witch Trials (1691-1692)
- Abigail and Betty Parris (niece and daughter of minister) started it all.
1. Forbidden Activities
a. Tituba was teaching the girls magic tricks and fortune telling
i. Girls should have been reading the bible or doing
chores
ii. Girls could have been severely punished or beaten
iii. Tituba could have been beaten, sold or killed
2. First Symptoms
a. Acting like animals, twitching, screaming, rolling on the ground,
acted like they were being choked.
i. Didn’t want to get in trouble – lied and blamed others
ii. Wanted attention and human contact
iii. Wanted power
3. Accusations
a. No one cared about the first people the girls accused
i. Slave
ii. Homeless woman
iii. Sick old woman who married her servant
b. Accusing respected members of the community
c. Creates an atmosphere of paranoia, suspicion, fear
d. Said people’s spirits were attacking them
e. George Burroughs
i. Former minister
ii. Recited Lord’s prayer before execution
1. Witches can’t do that
2. Killed him anyway
a. Judges didn’t want people knowing they were infallible.
4. Aftermath
a. The girls accused high-ranking officials, and the governor’s wife
b. The governor called for the executions to cease
i. Pardoned those awaiting execution
ii. Those pardoned lived in poverty with tarnished reputations
c. Girls never punished