When was the Salem witch hunt?
1692-93
How many people were killed during the trial?
20
What key contextual factors contributed to the trial?
-Puritan context
-Political context
-Native American context
-Local situation
How did the Puritan context contribute to the trials?
-Salem was a heavily Puritan community;
–Believed they were God’s chosen people
–Believed they were on a mission after escaping persecution in England
-The Bible was seen as supreme authority
–Exodus 22:18 says witches should be killed
–Bible teaches weakness of women
–Belief in Satan
-Salem was a theocracy
–Members of the clergy were influential in government
–Values conformity
–Failure to live up to Puritan ideas is suspicious
–Non-conformity viewed as a threat to whole community.
How did the political context contribute to the trials?
-America was called the ‘Dominion of New England’
–This was unpopular, seen as restricting freedom of Puritans
-The Glorious revolution
–Encouraged the people to overthrow their governor Andros
–This led to a power vacuum
-Authority is unclear for 3 years
–3 year period of growing concern and uncertainty
How did the Native American context contribute to the trials?
How did the local situation contribute to the trials?
