View
34
Download
0
Category
Tags:
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
The Salem Witch Trials. Witches. What is the definition of a witch? a person, now especially a woman, who professes or is supposed to practice magic, especially black magic or the black art; sorceress. WITCHES!!!! A GLOBAL ISSUE. Witches were persecuted in France, Italy, Germany and England - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Citation preview
The Salem Witch Trials
Witches What is the definition of a witch?
a person, now especially a woman, who professes or is supposed to practice magic, especially black magic or the black art; sorceress.
WITCHES!!!! A GLOBAL ISSUE Witches were persecuted in France,
Italy, Germany and England Over 300 years Between 14th and 16th century,
40,000-50,000 people were executed for “witchcraft”
The Bible told me to do it… Persecutions and
killings of witches came from the Bible.
Exodus 11:18 “Thall shall not suffer a witch to live.”
Tolerance ends
Early Christians were permissive of PAGANS – Pagan - one of a people or community observing a
polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks. Synonyms: polytheist.
1231 – Pagans were considered heretics. Heretics - a professed believer who maintains
religious opinions contrary to those accepted by his or her church or rejects doctrines prescribed by that church.
Heretics were exposed and punished
Heresy = Death
1484 – Pope Innocent VIII declared witchcraft to be heresy Punishment was death!
Hammer of the Witches
Book that told “how to” find a witch Satan would leave a mark “devil’s mark”
or “witch’s teat” – “Teat” is said to feed the animal spirits that served her
“Swimming Witch” – Woman tied to a lever and dunked in water. If she was a witch, she would float. If she was innocent, she would sink. Woman always found guilty.
Torture
Henry VIII
Became head of the church and head of the country
Witchcraft became a sin against church & state
Resulted in TREASON , which was a capital offense
1692
Pilgrims leave England to settle Massachusetts Bay Colony “new perfect society” based on Bible “City on a hill” Settlers still British citizens Believed in witches Called Puritans
CREEPY!
Witch Hunts and Trials – take 1 Charlestown – 1648
1st witch hunt and trial Margaret Jones – midwife and healer Said to have “malignant” touch Could foretell future Had a “witch’s teat” Hanged in 1648
Take 2 Boston – 1688
4 children accuse Goodwife Glover Children cured through prayer and
fasting Glover executed Cotton Mather –▪ headed investigation ▪ Boston minister
Take 3 – Salem Village, MA - 1692 Most famous witch hunt Puritan settlement
Believed in predestination Believed in Misogyny – belief that women are to
be silent, submissive, docile helpers and mothers
By nature, women were considered more likely than men to enlist in the devil’s service
Women considered lustful and wanted certain kinds of knowledge▪ (Garden of Eden)
Salem Witch Trials
Began with 11 year old Abigail Williams and 9 year old Elizabeth Parris Girls acted strangely Abigail Williams was Elizabeth’s cousin.
Elizabeth Parris was the daughter of the town minister.
Not allowed to have toys or play- this was seen as idleness and sinful
Encouraged to concentrate on chores and studying bible verses
Rev. Parris’s House
Salem Witch Trials – the beginning At night Abigail and Elizabeth would
spend their nights by the fire with Reverend Parris’s slave Tituba (from Barbados).
Tituba entertained the girls with magic, fortune telling and story telling from her homeland.
This was forbidden by Puritan law.
Salem Witch Trials
Girls began speaking in tongues and having wild convulsions.
The village doctor was called in, he was sure the girls were victims of witch craft.
One Sunday in January, as the Reverend began his sermon, the girls in town fell into a fit.
Salem Witch Trials
The town concerned for the girls asked who had cast a spell on them.
Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne were named.
Tituba, a slave. Sarah Good, a homeless woman. Sarah Osborne a woman who had married her servant.
Salem Witch Trials When placed on trial both Sarah’s
maintained their innocence, Tituba however claimed there were other witches in Salem.
This admission started the wave of hysteria that engulfed Salem.
Behind this paranoia were Elizabeth and Abigail. The hysteria was being controlled by two young girls.
Elizabeth and Abigail
Girls accused: Men Upper Class Minister’s wives
Traits of a Witch
Singing Reading Not conforming to Puritan law Not getting along with your neighbor Spending time alone Writing
The Accusation Process The afflicted person makes a complaint to
the Magistrate about a suspected witch. The complaint is sometimes made through a third person.
The Magistrate issues a warrant for the arrest of the accused person.
The accused person is taken into custody and examined by two or more Magistrates. If, after listening to testimony, the Magistrate believes that the accused person is probably guilty, the accused is sent to jail for possible reexamination and to await trial
The Accusation Process…cont.The case is presented to the
Grand Jury. Depositions relating to the guilt or innocence of the accused are entered into evidence.
If the accused is indicted by the Grand Jury, he or she is tried before the Court of Oyer and Terminer. A jury, instructed by the Court, decides the defendant's guilt.
The Accusation Process…cont.The convicted defendant
receives his or her sentence from the Court. In each case at Salem, the convicted defendant was sentenced to be hanged on a specified date
The Sheriff and his deputies carry out the sentence of death on the specified date.
Salem Witch Trials – Cont. 200 accussed 7 judges, 12 jurors at hearings Confessions of witchcraft weren’t
hanged Only people who denied it were hanged 55 of 200 confessed to escape hanging
Sarah Goode
Hanged for witchcraft Cursed Judge Nicholas Noise:
“If you take away my life, God will give you blood to drink.”
25 years later, Noise died by choking on his own blood.
Dorcus Goode – Sarah’s daughter – 4 years old – youngest accused
Reverend George Burroughs Retired reverend Hanged for witchcraft Before being hanged, recited “The
Lord’s Prayer” perfectly – supposed to be impossible for a witch to do this
TOTALS
Total Accused: 200 Total deaths: 24 people
19 hanged 4 died in prison 1 pressed to death
End of the Trials
Court was dissolved on October 29 49 of 52 left to sentence were
acquitted Community realized its wrong-
doings. Girls never publicly apologized
Ann Putman – 1706 – blamed devil for causing her to do it
Recommended