Salem Witch Trials And The Salem Witch Trials

There were some rough times in America, as it was being colonized by the English settlers. There was an exceptionally difficult time in Salem, Massachusetts in the early 1690s. This was the year that the Salem Witch Trials began. It was a time where none of the townsfolk trusted anyone and reports people for the silliest of things. These reportings lead to a series of cases of witchcraft in Massachusetts. These trials began in February of 1692 and drew out till 1693. It was one brutal year for the colonists of Salem that year (Brooks).
It all started out in January of 1692. Elizabeth Parris, a 9-year-old, and Abigail Williams, the 11-year daughter of Salem’s minister, began having fits. These fits weren’t just the typical child hissy fit or tantrum. These fits were considered demonic and involved the two young girls violently contorting themselves into abnormal positions, throwing random items, uttering strange things, and screaming out uncontrollably. The father of Abigail
Williams, Reverend Parris, called in the local doctor, William Griggs, in immediately. He came to evaluate the situation and determined that they were in the supernatural’s hands and that they had been bewitched. Soon after numerous other girls began to display similar symptoms, including Mercy Lewis, Elizabeth Hubbard, Mary Walcott, Ann Putnam Jr, and Mary Warren. These girls were considered the “afflicted ones”.
A month later, the girls claimed that Tituba, a Caribbean slave, Sarah Good, a homeless beggar, and Sarah Osborne, a poor elderly woman, all bewitched the group (Salem Witch Trials).
A warrant for Tituba, Good, and Osborne’s arrest was then issued. They all went before the local magistrates on March 1, 1692. They were interrogated for several days. Both Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne pleaded not guilty, but it was a different story for Tituba. In her trial, she said, “"The Devil came to me and bid me serve him." Not only did this was confessed, but she also confessed that she was seeing things. She said she saw elaborate black dogs, red cats, and yellow birds. The most frightful thing she said she saw was a “black man” who wanted her to sign his book; in this day, the “black man” was considered the Devil, himself. She admitted that she and the others signed his book and sold herself to be a witch for the Devil, so she and the others could ruin the Puritan culture and ideals
(Blumberg).
This act absolutely horrified the townsfolk and put them into a panic. This is because the Massachusetts’ colony of Salem had a particularly religious community. They were distressed at the thought of the Devil trying to make his way into the Church and their tiny isolated community. This fear went up in even larger flames when Tituba made that statement about herself and others. She didn't know what kind of trigger she pulled when she made that confession because the whole town went up in utter chaos, once she did. Her remark of being under the Devil sparked the whole massive witch hunt and trials in Salem (Brooks). For the time being, the three women were put in the Salem prison, and the Salem Witch Trials had officially begun. With the Trials now started, a whole flood of accusations of witchcraft continued for a few months.
On March 12,1692, one of the “afflicted girls”, Ann Putnam, accused Martha Cory of witchcraft. This was a big deal to the town because Martha was a devoted and loyal member of Salem’s church. This accusation of her meant that if a pure and devoted Church member of the village could be a witch, then anyone or everyone could be a witch (Chronology of Events Relating). Accusations then fled in after. On March 19, the leader of the “afflicted girls” said Rebecca Nurse was a witch, as well. The magistrates then questioned Sarah Good’s daughter, Dorothy, who was a little, four-year-old girl. Her fearful and shy answers were interpreted as a confession by the magistrates, Hathorne and Corwin. This showed how serious and fearful of these accusations of witchcraft. After this set, the questionings become only more intense from that point on because the Deputy Governor, Thomas Danforth, and his helpers started attending the questionings. Not only were people from Salem being questioned at hearings, but there were other Massachusetts villages sending in witches, at that point (Blumberg).