Witches- Part Six - Salem Witch Trials

Salem Witch Trials (1692-1693)

(Scapegoat/common enemy)

https://youtu.be/zrzMhU_4m-g

Monty Python – She’s a Witch!

17th Century Massachusetts was full of superstitions and fears. The Puritan Pilgrims hoped to be “A Shining City on a Hill” and set a great example for all who saw them. Therefore, they lived strict, reserved, and pious lives. For 22 years, they banned the celebration of Christmas through the Massachusetts Bay colony. They believed that it wasn’t biblical and an influence of other false religions. Within the Puritan community, religious belief was that some people were chosen by God. These people were known as “the Elect”. They were the holiest people who were most active in the church. And then there were the people who God had not chosen, known as the Reprobate. Despite the desire to create a perfect society that’s an example to others: Salem villagers argued with each other over property lines, grazing rights and church privileges. One of the hot topics of the day was the salary paid to the new Village Pastor. There was a lot of tension and drama that can be found in every community. Why couldn’t they live up to their dream?

In 1692, Salem welcomed a new pastor to their church, Samuel Parris. The new Pastor, wanted to show his authority and so he undermined and was rude to a few regulars in the congregation. In response, some in the congregation wanted him to be fired and leave. One evening, Parris’ 9-year-old and 11-year-old daughters, began to have fits, screaming, threw things, made strange noises and crawled under furniture. Doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with them. They suggested that witches might be at work. At this point, the girls named their torturers. They named three women as witches. One of which was their father’s slave woman who was dark sinned and practiced folk medicine. One was a poor lady that was well-known but not well liked. The third was a woman from a respected family who had a land dispute with the new Pastor. Townspeople were horrified and scared. However, two church women weren’t convinced that the girls were telling the truth. When they openly questioned their claims, the girls pointed a finger at them also and they were arrested. Anyone protecting a witch must also be a witch. This deeply troubled the community because both these women were full members of the church. If they could be witches, anyone could be a witch. The next person to be accused was the 4-year-old daughter of one of the accused witches. The little girl was kept in a jail cell with her mother.

Three more were arrested under suspicion of being witches. One of them, a man, refused to say anything. This was taken as a sign of guilt and he was put under torture. The torture was known as “pressing”, it involved putting heavy rocks on top of him, slowly increasing the weight until he was crushed to death. The village Pastor would’ve been there praying over the punishment, quoting bible verses such as, “Expel the wicked person among you!” and “Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth.” The Puritans of Salem wanted to defeat evil and restore their dreams of a “Shining City on the Hill.”

The accused witches stood trial at public hearings. The whole village came out to watch. When evidence was presented, one of the most common was the claim that the accused person appeared before the victim in a dream. It was argued that Satan couldn’t use a person’s image if they were Christian and resisted him. Therefore, if Satan could use your likeness, then you had clearly given him permission. The accused witches’ friends and family argued that the person was a good person and a good Christian. However, the community feared that the witches would get away and believed that all of the problems in their community was to blame on witches. Their “Shining City on the Hill” were under attack by evil forces. The jury’s decision was almost always that of guilty. The accused were sentenced to death. At the height, 62 people were in jail. The accused were taken out the next morning and hanged until they suffocated to death. Some of the accused never made it to trial, instead dying in jail.

Why do you think Witches were really accused?

Why do you think they wanted someone to blame?

Change is Opinion

The Governor ran the legal process and one day, his own daughter was accused of witchcraft. He swore it couldn’t be true. However, someone in the village swore that they had seen her in a dream. Everyone knew that the devil couldn’t use the likeness of an innocent person. The Governor, who up until this point had been eager to charge the accused women, was now in defense. His ideas changed and he listened to different lawyers. (Cautio Criminalis XXV) They didn’t stop believing in Witches, they just argued that the devil is a trickster and could present himself in the form of an innocent person. Other accused Witches claimed to have seen the Governor’s daughter at the midnight mass. The Governor suddenly agreed that if a witch had truly made a pact with the devil, why would we trust who they name as also guilty. They would accuse the innocent.

Why do you think the Governor changed his mind?

The last witch trial in the United States was in 1706. By 1750, witchcraft was no longer a crime. 

https://youtu.be/NVd8kuufBhM?si=c52_limNBMWeF2S-

The Term “Witch hunt” Today

The term witch hunt has many uses in the modern age. It’s used to describe an unprovoked, victimized persecution of a specific group. Throughout history, people have used scapegoats to deflect blame. It’s human instinct to want someone to blame somebody because itt creates a feeling of control and justice.

Blaming the Coach or a Specific player – A belief that firing them would Improve results.

After the losing World War One, many Germans blamed Jewish People.

Blaming Immigrants on the economy

Following a devastating tornado, society decides it was god’s wrath against LGBT people.

A vase breaks at a home, and it’s blamed on the family pet.

Yoko Ono gets blamed for the Beatles breaking up.

Over the years, acts of violence have been blamed on video games, heavy metal music and horror movies.

 

Politicians have always taken advantage of scapegoats. It makes life easier for those in power. People can deflect criticism and blame if they can find someone else to pin it on. Blaming a single player can shelter the rest of the team from blame. Blaming immigrant for the economy can help politicians avoid blame for bad economic decisions. Blaming LGBT people for natural disasters can deflect blame for bad planning and changing weather. Blaming video games can protect people who sell guns from responsibility.

https://youtu.be/cLa0zqShCcw?si=6n_BmbJeReXFFsV3

Conclusion

The world is a complicated place, and it doesn’t always live up to our expectations. Our expectations might not be realistic. In the case of the Salem Witch Trials, their expectation was to create a moral, good, and harmonious society. When that didn’t happen, they needed a reason and instead of accepting that their goal might have been unrealistic, it was easier to find someone to blame. It’s important for us to remember that the world is complicated. There is rarely one single reason for anything. When you find yourself blaming someone or some people for a problem you’re facing, remember that it’s our instinct to want a simple answer and to find control in an uncertain and frustrating situation.

https://youtu.be/B_ZaFmX72EY?si=4MQl_ZyEicACZU09