Shelbi
Fenoglio
Mrs.
Hammett
There’s
No Place like Salem
Introduction
Have you ever
been wrongfully accused of being something that you were not, or for doing
something you had no part of? Usually, the issue can be resolved by explaining
your side of the story and providing information to support it. However, if you
lived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, a false accusation could eventually lead
to your death by stoning, hanging, or even drowning. This craze that swept
through the Puritan community revolved around the idea that witches existed,
and they were living among them. What else could explain young maidens chanting
in the woods, screaming and barking like dogs, and creating concoctions similar
to those of witches (Witchcraft in Salem)? Why the Salem Witch Trials began is
still questionable, but its impact on society is still felt today. The ability to turn on others, even to the
point of death, has been a phenomenon we have yet to understand, but still see
traces of in the world we live in now. Would you have been accused of witchery,
or would you have been an accuser?
History
The hysteria
brought on by the Salem Witch Trials began in January of 1692. The “witch
related” events commenced after a series of strange outbursts and fits from a
group of local teenage girls. Abigail Williams, who was nine years old at the
time, and Betty Pharris, who was eleven, began exhibiting odd behaviors like
babbling incoherently and attempting to fly. (Purdy 1)
Salem
being a small town, it did not take long for rumors to begin circulating that
these outbursts could possibly be the result of the Devil after the town doctor
diagnosed the children as being “under an evil hand” (Purdy 1). The people of
Salem believed that “to be bewitched, a witch must draw an individual under a
spell” (Witchcraft in Salem). This pushed the idea that the girls could not
have possibly brought these actions upon themselves, and someone was
responsible for this. The trials began with the intent of serving justice to
those who were at fault. The fact that young girls, who had even less power
than grown women in Salem, began this famous event in history is rather
fascinating. The role of women in Puritan culture was simple. Women were made
to get married, have children, and be subjected to their husbands. There was no
equality between a man and a woman, and women were not to draw attention to
themselves in drastic ways, like professing witchcraft.
Puritans
often referred to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden during sermons. (2) It was
often pointed out how Eve was the one to defy God first by giving into
temptations presented by the serpent. This led to the Puritan’s beliefs that if
the Devil wanted to overtake the Puritan community, it would be achieved
easiest through a woman. The Trials have been described as “a fascinating mix
of biblical passages and colonial statutes”. (Rosenthal 1) The Puritans often
looked towards the Bible for insight on how to handle such situations. They
eventually adopted the following ideas found within scripture. “‘If any man or
woman be a WITCH, that is, hath or consulteth with a familiar spirit, they
shall be put to death.’ Exodus 22:18,
Leviticus 20:27, Deuteronomy 18:10-11” (1) Because of this idea put on women in the Puritan community, women
were often looked down upon, and as the lowest level of power in the village.
“Witchcraft confronts us with the ideas about women, with fears about women,
with the place of women in society, and with women themselves.” (Purdy 4) This
idea of women being closer with evil and darkness led to the obvious trend that
women would be the majority of people accused of witchcraft, as well as the
majority of deaths. Also, women who were targeted for accusations were
generally strong, independent women who attempted to have equality with males
in some form. (4)
Another
belief to why these Trials began was the social tension that existed between
the two social classes within Salem. Salem Town and Salem Village often
compared themselves to the other, striving to be the more prestigious
settlement. “Salem was a powder keg of jealousy, ambition, and animosity, and
the trials ignited it.” (Purdy 1) Some look at the outbursts of the young girls
as a reaction of the society in which they live, and that the “witch attacks”
were in fact symbolizing the attack they felt from their community.
To
oversee the judicial side of the Salem Witch Trials, the Court of Oyer and
Terminer was created to hear the accused of witchcraft. Within this court,
three main types of evidence were used to convict someone of being a witch. The
first was confession, which required the accused to admit they were Wiccan, and
more times than not, also name anyone they were working with (Rosenthal 1). The
second type of evidence was a testimony of two or more eyewitnesses to the acts
of witchcraft. This was not always reliable however, due to the fact that a
person’s word may not always be true. Spectral evidence was the last major form
of evidence accepted in the Salem Witch Trials. Spectral evidence involves the
accused witch’s ability to cause harm to others without physically moving, or
having witnesses. A person was generally not charged on spectral evidence
alone. In fact, throughout history, the use of any spectral evidence at all has
significantly “denigrated the legitimacy of the trials in the eyes of many both
then and now”. (Rosenthal 1) Aside from these main forms of evidence, “prior
conflicts, bad acts by the accused, possession of materials used in spells,
greater than average strength, and witch’s marks” sometimes were also used as
evidence. (Rosenthal 1) However, a
person accused may be asked to recite The Lord’s Prayer, because something so
satanic would never be able to recite
such holy words. (Rosenthal 1)
No
one explanation of the trials has ever been universally accepted. Perhaps it
began from a mix of multiple factors that influenced the Puritans during this
time period. Whether it was witchcraft, Native Americans, diseases, drugs, or
merely personal battles (Purdy 3,4), the Salem Witch Trials have certainly had
their impact on American culture.
Example
One
of the most profound, and most remembered, accusations during the Salem Witch
trials was the accusation of a slave named Tituba. Tituba was the town
minister, Samuel Parris’, slave. It is not known exactly where her native land
was, but she has been depicted multiple times as being from African descent,
although many believe she was actually an Indian. Tituba’s trial began after
the accusation presented by nine year old Betty Parris, and eleven year old
Abigail Williams. The young girls were often seen dancing in the woods and
chanting to unseen entities. (Witchcraft in Salem) Tituba was an obvious
outcast in the town of Salem, which is the most probable reason to why she was
accused. Aside from that, she was also a woman and of a different race. These
characteristics eventually led to the unfortunate fate of Tituba.
Now,
hundreds of others were accused and tried for witchcraft, what made Tituba’s
case any different? Aside from being one of the first to have accusations
thrown at her, Tituba actually confessed to the act of witchcraft, and also
claimed that there was a coven of witches working together in Salem. It is
assumed that Tituba was accused due to the fact that she participated in
“witch-like” activities, like trying to contact the “tormentor” of Betty
Pharris, and confessed only to escape further torment from her owners. It is
thought that had Tituba not accused others of being in on this imaginary circle
of witches that the trials would not have gone on as long, and would not have
become as significant as they did.
Solutions
to Witchcraft
Throughout the
trials, many actions were taken to try to fix the issue at hand. The whole
point of the Salem Witch Trials was to cleanse the town from any and all forms
of witchcraft. However, it seems as though the issues deal more with the
society on an emotional level rather than the physicality of witches actually
existing. The simple dislike of a neighbor could eventually lead to the
accusation of that person with hardly any evidence at all. This somewhat
explains why even after the accused “witches” who were found guilty were
punished and sentenced to death, the trials still lingered on. Maybe the Salem
Witch Trials had nothing to do with witchcraft at all. Whether that is an
accurate statement or not, the town most definitely went to extreme measures to
ensure witches were not walking among them.
Once a person was convicted, on spectral evidence,
confession, or testimony, they must go before a panel of judges to determine
their fate (Rosenthal 1). The judges would sometimes ask the accused to perform
certain tasks like reciting the Lord’s Prayer or bible verses to try to
disprove the accusations. However, the young girls whom these trials seemed to
have revolve around would sometimes shout and scream during these tests, and
often caused the people in question to fail (Witchcraft in Salem).
Another way judges look to separate the witches from the
non-witches were specific body markings like birthmarks, moles, freckles, and
scars. Marks like these were seen as portals into the mortal world, and were
often looked at as a sign of being a witch (Witchcraft in Salem). Markings were
often used to distinguish people from one another, and sometimes were added as
evidence to cases where the only evidence available was spectral (1).
The cases began to die down, and were eventually put to
an end when the mayor’s wife fell victim to the accusations of witchcraft in
the town of Salem. (Witchcraft in Salem) At the start of the trials, the
typical target of the accusations were low class, out cast members of society
who typically did not stand a chance to defend themselves in court. However, as
the trials continued, the accusations grew more and more bolder, and this
created doubt in the town of Salem (Salem Times Every Time 1). The people began
to see that innocent neighbors were being accused and sometimes executed.
Because of this, the trials eventually began to dwindle down, and eventually
came to an end.
To determine what the fix was for the trials, the driving
force for the trials would also have to be known. If witchcraft truly was the
center of which they revolved around, the executions and trials could possibly
be what ended the evil actions in Salem. However, if the problem runs deeper,
it could be that the issue never went away. If jealousy and hatred are what
fueled the fire for all of those months, these things will always exist. The
realization that the trials were cruel and unreliable however, possibly helped
shed some light on the people of Salem, Massachusetts.
Camus
and Absurdity
The ideas
presented at the Salem Witch Trials can also relate to ideas presented by the
late Albert Camus. Camus believed that while the meaning of life may be lost,
or even non-existent, human life was precious, and each day should be conquered
with “wit, grace, compassion for others, and even a sense of mission” (Encyclopedia
of Philosophy 1). Camus says “you will never be happy if you continue to search
for what happiness consists of” (1). The Puritans strived for this idea free of
a perfect society free of wickedness and hate. However, their pursuit
eventually morphed into a deceiving betrayal that overcame the entire town of
Salem. Neighbors began to turn on each other simply for selfish ambitions or
internal conflicts. “Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear,”
Camus says (Brainy Quotes 1). The Puritans lived in constant fear during this
time period, for no one knew who would be accused next.
The general disregard for human life would be something
that Camus would heavily disagree with. Camus believed human life was precious,
and should not be taken for granted. The fact that some of these murders and
executions may be the result of fictional accusations only worsens the
situation. “The evil that is the world almost always comes of ignorance, and
good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding,”
–Albert Camus (Brainy Quotes). While the Puritans may have believed they were
“cleansing” their town of evil witches, what if they were destroying their town
and did not even know it? Or even worse,
what if they did?
` While we may never know the true
motivation behind these trials that forever changed this small coastal town, we
can agree that some aspects of the trials do not add up. Because of this, the
legitimacy of the trials is often questioned. Perhaps the trials were nothing
but a social epidemic and a disregard to human life, fueled by jealousy and
naivety.
Conclusion
So how can
something that happened so long ago relate to the world that we live in today?
As it turns out, society as a whole hardly tends to drift from actions,
tendencies, and behaviors that have grown custom since the beginning of time.
Jealousy, betrayal, spitefulness, and vindictiveness will always have a strong
presence in any society, whether it is on display or not. It is often the
issues that are kept under the radar that can surface to produce the greatest epidemics
society has seen.
However,
because of the severity of the Salem Witch Trials, we can see the outcomes that
are possible when a society becomes unraveled and is pulled in thirty different
directions. It is also apparent how personal ambitions can drive people, and
eventually a whole town, to turn on each other in the blink of an eye. While
witchcraft may have played a small role in what went on during these months in
Salem, it seems much more convincing to say there was an underlying evilness in
the town, and witchcraft had nothing to do with it.
Salem,
Massachusetts (now Danvers, Massachusetts) will always hold a spot in our
history books, but perhaps it should also hold a place somewhere more personal.
Like Camus explained, life should be lived in harmony and peace without
question. Give the people you surround yourself with resect and appreciation,
and never let your own personal ambitions overcome who you are as a person. Or
who knows, even you could end up on the stake.
Works
Cited
Rosenthal,
Bernard. "Dark Eve." Salem Story Reading the Witch Trials of 1692:
10-31. Web.
Beau,
Bryan F. Le. "Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription
Project2006170 Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project
. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia 1999‐. Last Visited November 2005 URL:
Http://etext.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft Gratis." Reference Reviews
20.3 (2006): 56-57. Web.
Purdy,
Sean. "Conjuring History: The Many Interpretations of the Salem Witchcraft
Trials." Rivier Academic Journal Spring 2007 3.1 (2007): 1-18. Web.
"Law News from the D'Angelo Law
Library." The University of Chicago Library News. Web. 09 Mar.
2016. <http://news.lib.uchicago.edu/blog/2012/10/29/the-salem-witch-trials-a-legal-bibliography-for-halloween/>.
"The
Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Biographical Sketch of Tituba." The Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Biographical Sketch of Tituba.
Web. 09 Mar. 2016. <http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASA_TIT.HTM>.
"Witchcraft in Salem." Ushistory.org.
Independence Hall Association. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.ushistory.org/us/3g.asp>.
"Internet Encyclopedia of
Philosophy." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web. 15 Apr.
2016.
"Albert Camus Quotes." BrainyQuote.
Xplore. Web. 15 Apr. 2016.
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