Salem Witch Trials1692 - 1693

What? Where? Who?A series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts.

- Rampant fear/a wave of histeria amongst the Puritans in Salem- sparked by a group of young girls

- Primary targets: women, vulnerable/weak nature - easily possessed by the Devil

- First execution: Bridget Bishop (hung/hanged in June 1692)- 18 others were executed (Salem’s Gallows Hill)- Some additional 150 men, women and children were accused

Context/History14th century Europe

- widespread belief that the Devil possessed humans (witches)

Harsh conditions in colonial Massachusetts

- 1689, war between Britain and France (fought in US colonies)- recent smallpox epidemic - fear of the unknown/dangerous (wilderness, native populations)- Rivals: Salem Village & Salem Town

Trials TimelineJanuary 1692

- Elizabeth Parris & Abigail Williams (daughter and niece to Minister Parris)- fits/contortions, diagnosed as “bewitched”

February

- arrest warrant for Parris’ Carribean slave, Tituba - also, Sarah Good (a beggar) and Sarah Osborn (poor, elderly) - denied- Tituba confessed (an “informer”), and named others - eventually released

Timeline cont.May

- Special court for witch trials (Court of Oyer and Terminer)

June 2

- Bridget Bishop sentenced to death- hung 8 days later… and others followed throughout the summer- or, died in prison/pressed by stones (Giles Corey - refused to enter a plea of guilty or not)

October

- Special court dissolved (trials continued, yet dwindled until early 1693) - Massachusetts governor pardoned and had those in prison released

Did you know?In an effort to explain by scientific means….

1976, Science magazine cited the fungus ergot

- found in rye, wheat and other cereals- can cause symptoms such as delusions, vomiting and muscle spasms

Remember Alsace in 6e and the Unterlinden Museum?

- Isemheim Altarpiece

Short Filmhttp://www.history.com/topics/salem-witch-trials

Notion: ProgressDoes tradition/fear help or hinder progress?

Case studies:

- Salem witch trials (1692, Massachusetts), The Crucible by Arthur Miller- Fiction, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson- Women’s cycling team (21st century, Afghanistan), “The Road Not Ridden”

by Jayme Moye- Cold War & McCarthyism

The Crucible (1953) - Arthur MillerAn allegory to the 1950s “witch hunts” led by Joseph McCarthy

- Republican U.S. Senator from Wisconsin - Context:

- Cold War - 1947-1991- political/military tension post WWII- Western Bloc (US and NATO allies) vs. Eastern Bloc (Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact allies)- Fear of communism (“communist subversion”)

- Claimed there were Communist and Soviet spies within the US government

McCarthyismMaking accusations of subversion or treason without proper evidence.

Atmosphere of FEAR among Americans

- 1949, Soviet Union exploded 1st atomic bomb- Communist Forces, victory in Chinese Civil War- 1950, North Korea (Soviet-backed) invades South Korea

Crucial moment:

- 1954 attacked the Army = censured by Senate- Army-McCarthy hearings broadcasts on television

And just for fun...

http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/joseph-mccarthy/videos