To what extent was the Puritan Religion used in the justification of the Salem Witch trials
and convictions?
November 30, 2009
Submitted by:
001320-002
Mrs. Tribble
International Baccalaureate 20th century history
Word count: 1,559
To what extent was the Puritan Religion used in the justification of the Salem Witch trials
and convictions?
A. Plan of Investigation
This investigation examines the Salem Witch trials of 1692. It will be necessary
for the investigation to examine the Puritan religion itself, along with the government in
colonial Massachusetts, and how the two intertwined. This assessment will also study
aspects of the judicial system. Social conditions and the emancipation of colonial
Massachusetts will be researched., and I will investigate how religion and the flawed
justice system combined with these factors to contribute to the beginnings and
progression of the witch hunts. This assessment will not investigate all of the “witches”
convicted, or the immediate happenings once the witch trials were over; it also will not
investigate fiscal or agricultural hardships of colonial Massachusetts. Two useful sources
of information will be assessed for their Origins, Purposes Values, and Limitations.
These sources will be Salem Possessed: the social origins of witchcraft by Paul S.
Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, and The Salem witch trials: a primary source history of
the witchcraft trials in Salem, Massachusetts by Jenny MacBain.
B. Summary of Evidence

Puritans followed a strict moral code. They firmly believed in the existence of Satan
and God and that people were punished by God for their sins. It was believed that
misfortunes of the people were the will of God, and thus necessary and justified. It
was against the law to not go to church, and individuality was frowned upon. Puritans
believed that the Devil preyed on those who were weak. Ministers were looked to for
guidance by the judges, who were generally without legal training, on matters
pertaining to witchcraft.1

1629-Salem was settled.

1641-English law dictated that Witchcraft was a capital crime

1684-England mandated that the colonies could not self-govern.2

January 20-After being caught dancing, which was not appropriate by Puritan
standards, children Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams began to exhibit unnatural
behavior including seizures and screaming. The behavior soon spread to other girls in
the town.3

Mid- February- The village doctor of Salem, Griggs, could not find a physical
symptom of the behavior and deduced that the girls were possessed by Satan.4

Late February- Community prayer and fasting were conducted by Reverend Parris in
an attempt to rid the town of evil forces.5

Pressured, the girls named three women as witches, including Tituba, Parris' slave.
People all over town began to testify that there were witches in the town, and mass
hysteria at the thought of witches broke out.6 People with economic or social
limitations were most often accused.7

1
May 14-On his return from England, Increase Mather announced a charter which
Jenny MacBain, The Salem Witch Trials A Primary Source History of the Witchcraft Trials in Salem,
Massachusetts (New York: Rosen Group, 2002).
2
Francis Hill, The Salem Witch Trials Reader (New York: Da Capo Press, 2000).
3
MacBain, 22
4
Paul S. Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, Salem Posessed: the social origins of witchcraft (the President
and Fellows of Harvard College, 1974).
5
MacBain, 24
6
Frances Hill, A Delusion of Satan The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials (New York: Da Capo Press,
2002).
7
Bernard Rosenthal, Salem Story: Reading the Witch Trials of 1692 (Cambridge UP, 1993).
ended the self-government ban and a new governor.8

May 27-Governor Phips set up a special Court of Oyer and Terminer comprised of
seven judges for the witch trials.9

The magistrates based their judgments on evidence that was intangible, such as
confessions that citizens made out of pressure from officials, supernatural attributes
(such as "witchmarks"), and the hysterical antics of the girls who initiated the witch
accusations. Hearsay spread around the town and was reported as evidence, and
inaccurate testing methods, often brutal, were used to determine the “witch” status of
a person.10

Spectral evidence began to be used within the witch trials; this type of evidence
functioned on the belief that Satan could assume the specter or spirit of a person, thus
controlling them.11

June 2- the Court of Oyer and Terminer ran it‘s first session, and Bridget Bishop was
the first to be pronounced guilty of witchcraft and condemned to death.12

June 10-Accusations of witchcraft escalated after Bridget Bishop was executed;
however, opposition to the cases began to increase as well, and angry citizens began
to circulate petitions to be signed in an attempt to halt the progress of the witch
hunts.13

October 3-Reverend Increase Mather, now President of Harvard College and father to
Cotton Mather, publicly denounced the use of spectral evidence and banned it from
8
Boyer and Nissenbaum, 8
MacBain, 36
10
Boyer and Nissenbaum, 8
11
Hill, 12
12
Rosenthal, 35
13
Boyer and Nissenbaum, 12
9
the trials.14

October 8-After reading a letter written by Thomas Brattle criticizing the trials,
Governor Phips also denounced the use of spectral evidence.15

October 19- Several previous confessors who had been convicted began to retract
their testimonies from within the jails.16

October 29-The Court of Oyer and Terminer was dissolved, and further arrests were
prohibited.17

November 25 - A Superior Court was created for the remaining cases, but since
spectral evidence was no longer permitted, no one was able to be convicted; no
sufficient evidence could be produced.18

January 1693- Fifty-two people had survived the witch trials who were accused, and
forty-nine of them were released due to inaccurate evidence presented.19
C. Evaluation of Sources
Salem Possessed: the social origins of witchcraft was written by Paul S. Boyer
and Stephen Nissenbaum in 1974. It’s purpose is to detail what aspects of society led to
the progression of the witch hunts. It is valuable in that it neatly compiles all evidence
and explains theories on how the witch trials came to be through social and religious
means. The limitations on this source are that it does not delve into political history or
standings of colonial Massachusetts.
14
Delusion of Satan, 66
Richard Francis, Judge Sewall's apology: the story of a good man and an evil event: the Salem witch
trials and the forming of the American conscience (New York: Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins,
2005).
16
Delusion of Satan, 109
17
Hill, 78
18
Francis, 84
19
Delusion of Satan, 72
15
The Salem witch trials: a primary source history of the witchcraft trials in Salem,
Massachusetts was written by Jenny MacBain in 2003. It’s purpose is to compile factual
evidence concerning the events of 1692. It is valuable because it uses primary source
documents, narrative, and illustrations to recount the history of the witch hunt and trials
that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts, in the seventeenth century. It is limited because it
recounts the events of the trials only and not events prior to the trials.
D. Analysis
There is and will never be a concrete answer as to how the Salem Witch trials of
Massachusetts became the ordeal that they did, ending the lives of nearly twenty innocent
individuals. It may be deduced fairly easily that the beginnings of the hysteria were
brought on by the young girls who first accused Tituba of witchcraft.
Unfortunately, since the court of Oyer and Terminer functioned on “spectral
evidence,” something which would never be tolerated in the justice system today, a
simple bit of staged theatrics made it very easy for people to be accused of witchcraft.
The wide array of “witch tests” performed at that time made it virtually impossible to put
up a defense against claims of witchcraft, therefore leading to further accusations, the
only place that society felt it could turn to. Most likely hysterical teenagers, the accusing
girls did not wish to be punished for being caught dancing, and felt that their theatrics and
passage of blame would clear them of charges. Those who were first accused were all
people that the church did not look favorably upon-- such as slaves, or the homeless, and
as people were accused, the passage of blame to other members of society lessened the
burden and often relieved them of charges. This theme of scapegoat and persecution has
been one seen time and again throughout history, such as in the era of McCarthyism
during the cold war, where a similar “witch hunt,”- this time in search of communist
activity- lead to faulty charges, widespread accusation, and flaws in judicial procedures.
Puritan religious doctrine was intertwined heavily with the justice system in
colonial Massachusetts in the late sixteen hundreds. While today one must commit a very
serious crime, such as murder, to receive a death sentence, under Massachusetts colonial
legal structure, those who were accused of consorting with the devil were considered
felons. Salem was still under British rule however, and as a consequence those who were
convicted of witchcraft had committed a crime against Britain, and were ultimately
punished.
After war and other conflict with Great Britain, people looked to their church
more than they ever had in the past for guidance. The stress of having their charter for the
colony revoked and reinstated and the memory of a time when they were not religiously
free led the Puritan people to immerse themselves in a society where their faith was very
integrated with systems of law and justice. Undoubtedly, this was an easy way for the
colony to become independent and self-sustaining much faster; having England as a big
brother was not entirely appealing to the people. The residents of Salem viewed their
community not just as a group of individuals, but as a single entity united under God, and
functioned as such. Unfortunately, as seen by the injustices that ultimately occurred, this
system apparently was not the most accurate, and led to the loss of several lives and the
imprisonment of many more.
E. Conclusion
The Salem Witch Trials and their quick progression were largely driven by the
religious and political standings of colonial Massachusetts. The Puritan religious ethic
permeated all aspects of society, promoting safeguards against immorality at any cost to
personal privacy or justice. Through the convictions and trials of the Salem people
accused of witchcraft, it is evident that rather than religion being immersed into the
justice system, a faulty justice system had been integrated with the Puritan way of life.
This integration ultimately was an effect of the political standings of colonial
Massachusetts. Because of the weak political structure and nature of the emancipation
from Great Britain, pressure caused the people to turn to religious safeguards in matters
of justice, leading not only to mass hysteria and inadequate court procedures, but the
mass murder of many innocent people.
Works Cited
Boyer, Paul S., and Nissenbaum, Stephen. Salem possessed: the social origins of
witchcraft. 19th ed. The President and Fellows of Harvard College, 1974. Print.
Francis, Richard. Judge Sewall's apology: the story of a good man and an evil event : the
Salem witch trials and the forming of the American conscience. New York:
Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2005. Print.
Hill, Frances. A Delusion of Satan The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials. New York:
Da Capo, 2002. Print.
Hill, Francis. The Salem Witch Trials Reader. Da Capo, 2000. Print.
Macbain, Jenny. The Salem Witch Trials A Primary Source History of the Witchcraft
Trials in Salem, Massachusetts (Primary Sources in American History). New
York: Rosen Group, 2002. Print.
Magoon, Kekla. The Salem Witch Trials (Essential Events Set 2). New York: Essential
Library, 2008. Print.
Richard, Francis,. Judge Sewall's apology: the story of a good man and an evil event : the
Salem witch trials and the forming of the American conscience. New York:
Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2005. Print.
Rosenthal, Bernard. Salem Story: Reading the Witch Trials of 1692. Cambridge UP,
1993. Print.
Starkey, Marion Lena. Devil in Massachusetts a modern enquiry into the Salem witch
trials. New York: Anchor Books, 1989. Print.
Word Count: 1,559