Salem Witch Hunt Flashcards

1
Q

When did the first settlers arrive?

A

1630 - within 12 years, there had been 10,000 who migrated to MBC.

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2
Q

What emerged from successful trading industries?

A

Merchant class

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3
Q

What made the MBC resistant to King Charles’ attempts to establish the Church of England there?

A

Their puritan government and influence.

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4
Q

What were the residents required to do, despite it not being compulsory to attend?

A

Pay a tax to the church.

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5
Q

Why was there an incentive to go to church?

A

Only church members were given the exclusive right to vote for local officials.

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6
Q

What did Charles attempt to revoke in 1678 and 1671?

A

The Royal Charter to consolidate all New England colonies into one.
- this would allow for central control, but was formally annulled in 1684.

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7
Q

When did King James replaced Charles?

A

1685

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8
Q

What was King James able to do?

A

Administer all of the New England colonies as the Dominion of New England.

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9
Q

What did Andros try to implement, relating to Church services?

A

Tried to place the Church of England into Puritan services.

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10
Q

What tax did Andros introduce and why?

A

A tax on all imports and exports because the trade was draining the English Exchequer.
–> MBC hated this

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11
Q

What did Andros dismiss?

A

He said that all land ownership titles were declared void, and people would have to pay fees to get it back.

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12
Q

What did Andros control?

A

The number of town meetings allowed.

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13
Q

What did James declare in April 1687?

A

Made a Declaration of Indulgence in England which suspended penal laws against Catholics.

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14
Q

What did James dissolve?

A

Parliament, which increased political opposition from establishment.

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15
Q

What did seven leading figures in the political nation do?

A

Wrote to William of Orange to overthrow James.

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16
Q

When and why was Convention Parliament established?

A

January 1689, after James left the country in the previous December.

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17
Q

What did the Declaration of Rights affirm?

A

Some constitutional principles.

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18
Q

What was passed to give many protestant groups freedom?

A

Toleration Act, May 1689

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19
Q

When did Massachusetts revolt against Andros?

A

April 1689, after hearing of the English revolution.
- Led by Cotton and Increase Mather.

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20
Q

What had Increase Mather done in 1689-92?

A

Been in London advocating on behalf of the colony.

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21
Q

Who was in charge of MBC while Mather was away?

A

Simon Bradstreet.

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22
Q

What happened 18th April 1689?

A

Rebellious militia began arresting officials and surrounded Andros’ residence, who tried to flee but was captured and sent to England to face trial of Popish Plot.

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23
Q

What was given to Massachusetts in 1691?

A

Province of Massachusetts Bay.

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24
Q

What were some of William’s policies?

A
  • Voting eligibility based on property ownership, not religious domination.
  • Officials appointed by the Crown, not elected.
  • Governors could not block any laws passed by council.
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25
Q

When did King Philip’s first ‘Indian War’ take place?

A

1675-78: impacted many towns around Massachusetts.

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26
Q

How many military-aged men were killed?

A

1/10.

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27
Q

When did the Second Indian War coincide with?

A

The Salem trials.

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28
Q

What did Puritans believe about the Indians?

A

They believed they were devil-worshippers who were against a Godly society.

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29
Q

How can we see the impact of Indian threats on Salem trial?

A

Many young girls who gave evidence at trials knew many people who were victims.

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30
Q

What was the economic climate like in Massachusetts after the First Indian War?

A

Heavily damaged, but the population growth alongside the establishment of new towns meant that the settler’s livelihoods were not completely destroyed.

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31
Q

What were passed from 1651-73?

A

Navigation Acts by English Parliament.

32
Q

What were some policies within the Navigation Acts?

A
  • Goods imported to England or its territories had to be carried on English ships as it would remove Dutch monopoly on freight trade across Northern Europe and US.
  • Crew had to be 1/2 English.
  • National trading interest over the separate interests of various private trading.
33
Q

What did these acts do?

A
  • Reduced funds to Massachusetts as money was directed to England.
  • Fishermen forced to pay higher fees to transport produce to England.
34
Q

What were Salem and Massachusetts governed by?

A

Theocracy.

35
Q

What did puritan settlers believe?

A

They were chosen by God, so aimed to have a religious purpose.

36
Q

What was ignored in Massachusetts and what was the result?

A

The scientific revolution, so events such as crop failures and natural disasters were seen as the Devil’s work.

37
Q

What did preachers actively reinforce?

A

Women were inferior because they were “tempted by the Devil”.

38
Q

How many people lived in Salem village and town?

A

600 altogether.

39
Q

How were the village and town different?

A

Salem village was very agricultural and puritan, while the town was more connected with the outside world and had a wealthy merchant class.

40
Q

What did the town resist?

A

The village’s independent as it supplied their agricultural goods.

41
Q

Who were the Putman and Porter family?

A

Putnam: accusers and leaders of the movement towards separation.
Porter: richest family in Salem, opposed Putmans and tried to end the witch craze but seemed suspicious.

42
Q

Who was Cotton Mather?

A

A third-generation colonist who graduated Harvard age 15:
- wrote 400 books, many discussing witchcraft

43
Q

What was the ‘Memorable Providences relating to Witchcraft and Possessions”?

A

Cotton Mather’s book which discussed the Goodwin’s possessions, as well as including a sermon which warned people on how to avoid witches.

44
Q

What happened in the Goodwin possessions?

A

1688: Martha accuses family laundress of theft, who was the daughter of a ‘scandalous old woman’ Mary Glover
- Mary only spoke Gaelic and Catholic
- Mary swears at martha, girl experiences fits
- Oakes, a doctor, claims it is witchcraft
- Mary is arrested and her house i searched, where they find rags filled with goat hair, which she admitted to using for witchcraft
- Mary is unable to recite Lord Prayer
- Executed 1688, but girls fit continued

45
Q

What is the impact of the Goodwin Possessions?

A

Mather continued to preach about how evidence of a witch should not be used to charge another witch as the devil may be incriminating innocent people.

46
Q

Who was Samuel Parris?

A

Puritan minister of Salem:
- His preaching had an impact on widening Salem divisions.
- Before his daughter was bewitched, he delivered a sermon that said the church was under siege by the devil, assisted by wicked men.

47
Q

Who was Tituba?

A

Household servant of the Parris family, purchased probably in Barbados.

48
Q

What did Tituba do?

A
  • Mary Sibley approaches her and asks Tituba to make a ‘witch cake’ to counter possessions
  • The cake was fed to the dog, but had no effect except the girl’s fits worsened
  • Samuel Parris accuses her as he believed Tituba told stories of possession and voodoo to the girls
  • She quickly confessed to making a pact with the devil, but after claims that Parris had violently coerced her
49
Q

What happened in 1691?

A

Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams began to experiment with fortune telling with a ‘Venus glass’ that showed shapes.

50
Q

What happens in January 1692?

A

Elizabeth begins to become disoriented, such a screaming through Bible prayers.

51
Q

Why was Doctor Griggs eventually called?

A

Abigail started experiencing odd symptoms too.

52
Q

Who played a leading role in the trials, with her name appearing 400 times in documents.

A

Ann Putman, who claimed she was possessed in 1692.

53
Q

Who was the first to suffer fits?

A

Mary Walcott:
- Her aunt used counter magic against some suspects.
- Walcott family merges with Putman family after marriage.

54
Q

Who accuses 8 people?

A

Mercy Lewis

55
Q

Who was Elizabeth Hubbard?

A

Niece of the Griggs family, who worked as a servant in their household:
- Accused 27 people, 17 of them being arrested with 13 being hung.

56
Q

What were some motives of the children?

A
  • Psychologial disorders.
  • Hallucinations, naivety and excitement
  • Their own insecurities.
57
Q

How many victims were women?

A

80%

58
Q

Who was Sarah Good?

A
  • She was born wealthy but quickly became impoverished.
  • Husband testifies against her
  • Accused of hurting children.
59
Q

Who was Sarah Osborne?

A
  • Well-established widow with good social standings.
  • Openly lived with unmarried servant
60
Q

Who was Bridget Bishop?

A

A ‘masculine’ woman who was accused because of her behaviour, eg. swearing, drinking

61
Q

Who was Reverend George Burroughs?

A
  • Puritan minister
  • Could not pay money back to the Putman family.
62
Q

Who was Rebecca Nurse?

A
  • Well-respected member of community
  • Girls accused her
  • Initially found innocent, but they kept pushing for her execution.
63
Q

What happens a day after the first three suspects are arrested?

A

A meeting was called at the village meeting house where the possessed girls gave evidence against women.

64
Q

How many people were freed due to confessing?

A

50- greater chance of being freed if confessed.

65
Q

What happened when Governor Phipps established a Court of Oyer and Terminer?

A

The girls continued to act possessed while they searched for the devil’s mark, which was counted as spectral evidence.

66
Q

Why were convictions easily made?

A
  • Spectral evidence accepted in court
  • Accused were allowed few resources to mount a defence
  • Petitions by neighbours testifying to the good character were generally ignored
  • long-standing gossip from Salem Village were accepted
67
Q

Who was the first to be hanged, 10th June 1692?

A

Bridget Bishop

68
Q

Why was Giles Corey charged?

A

He had refused to speak while being tortured- they used the method of ‘pressing’ which led to his suffocation and then his wife and child were hanged too

69
Q

What happened to Reverend Burroughs?

A

Despite being able to recite the Lord’s Prayer, he was still hanged.

70
Q

How many had been hanged by 22nd September?

A

19, with one tortured to death.

71
Q

Who was implicated?

A

Governor Phipps wife, as well as Reverend Willard.

72
Q

What did Increase Mather do that slowed the hunt down?

A

‘Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits Persecuting Men’ : said genuine cases of witchcraft were rare, and the evidence used was dubious
–> due to his status, many people believed him

73
Q

What did Governor Phipps and Increase Mather work on?

A
  • The MBC Charter
  • Mather used his influence to place Phipps in post of Governor.
74
Q

Who did Phipps appoint who was head acceptor of spectral evidence?

A

Soughton as chief judge
–> after weeks of consideration, Phips closed the Court of Oyer and Terminer on 26th October 1692 and released those under investigation

75
Q

What was issued in 1693?

A

The General Pardon which officially excused 8 people Soughton had condemned to die.

76
Q

What had Soughton done in January?

A

Create a new Superior Court of Judicature, but due to political pressure, conviction rates lowered
- eg. may 1693, 5 people not found guilty

77
Q

What did the London Government repeal in 1695?

A

A law passed by the Massachusetts legislature in 1692 that enabled swift prosecutions for witchcraft.