What Happened in
Salem
I thought I
knew what happened: A wave of religious fanaticism swept Salem, Massachusetts
in the late 1600s, leading to the execution of a number of people who were
believed to be witches.
I don’t
recall what caused me to delve further (and further, to the point where I was
reading the original court transcripts).
I became
immersed in a gripping story that involves human nature (often at its worst). A
story that was extremely complex and far-reaching – it consumed all the thirteen
colonies. It was also a cautionary tale, one that the founders of our country
heeded. The lessons learned from Salem’s ordeal are imbedded in our Bill of
Rights.
At the
bottom of this essay I’ve divided the work into sections, and you can access
them with a click. But first I have provided the beginnings of each in order to
give you a sense of my approach: I try to tell a story.
So: enter
that world, as I did, and experience what happened in Salem.
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” Exodus 22:18
It began in the first days of the year
1692 in Salem Village, Massachusetts. Wooden houses stood shuttered against the
cold, their thatch roofs covered with snow, smoke rising from their chimneys.
In the center of this small Puritan community stood the church meetinghouse.
One
night a scream came from the parsonage next door.
The Road to Gallows Hill
Though not one of
the first to be accused, Bridget Bishop was the first to go to trial. She was
the obvious choice. Nobody had a worse reputation or was more reviled and
feared. Two years earlier she had been called before the Essex County Court on
the accusation of being a witch. The case had been dismissed due to the
intervention of Reverend John Hale of Beverly (the village where Bridget was
living at the time); he said that he was “hoping better of Goody Bishop.” To
the people of Salem, his hope had not been justified. In every way Bridget
lived in a manner highly improper for a Puritan woman.
Doubts and
Voices of Dissent
At the height of
the witch hunt, some who had played a significant part in it repudiated their
role. Margaret Jacobs was the granddaughter of George Jacobs. He was a lame old
man who walked with two canes, but he was vigorous and plainspoken. His
maidservant, Sarah Churchill, was one of the afflicted girls. He openly gave
his opinion of the matter: the girls were “bitch witches.” He was then accused
of being a wizard and was arrested.
Governor Phips
was foremost a military man, and the Indian War in the north often necessitated
his absence from Massachusetts. When he was back in Boston he found himself
deluged with petitions from the accused and their families, and he was
increasingly under pressure to act by the swell of opposition. That people
in high places were now among those calling for action no doubt influenced him;
also, the accusation directed at his wife, though brushed off as a mistake,
brought things close to home.
“Old
Adam” is a term used to refer to original sin: man is born evil, and he must
struggle against this stain in his nature. You need not have religious beliefs
to find validity in this view — our flaws are writ large over the pages of
history and in today’s newspapers. Those who play a dominant role in world
events are often people driven by consuming needs, mostly greed. But if we look
unsparingly into our ordinary selves, who among us can say they’re pure of
heart? The Puritans believed strongly in the concept of original sin. They were
making a judgment about themselves, and an acknowledgment of their need for
vigilance.
The Girls
At the heart of
the darkness that consumed Salem were the girls. What motivated them? There’s
been much speculation over that question. But it must remain speculation, for
we’re dealing with the complexities of hearts and minds. And no one answer can
be applicable to all. Though they were the “afflicted girls” and were thus
subject to group pressures, they were different people in different life
situations, influenced by different forces. Yet they were not assaulted by
witches, so supernatural explanations for their actions cannot apply. We must
look at them from a human perspective.
What Happened in Salem
"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Exodus
22:18
1 comment:
These pieces (with the exception of "The Girls") are quite long, and will have to be read in stages.
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