Salem Witch Trials After The Trial Of Martha Corey

Salem Witch Trials

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The Trial of Martha Corey
In March of 1692, a young woman that had recently became a member of the congregation, was accused of witchcraft. Other women of the church accused Martha Corey of being a witch, and Corey’s sarcastic response to the accusations winded her up arrested. A visiting minister described the situation in court. Martha Corey’s accusers thrashed in pain and were forced to mimic the movements that Martha was making. She was asked why she had afflicted her accusers, but she denied such actions. Her accusers claimed that Martha had bit, pinched, and strangled them. One woman, Ann Putnam, claimed to encounter a figure with the shape of Martha Corey praying to the devil. It was recorded that when Martha Corey simply bit her lip or inched her fingers, that the persons afflicted were marked with bites and pinches. Corey denied all of the accusations, but she was proven guilty and sent to Salem prison. The accusers claimed that once Corey was in custody that all afflictions ended.

Red Scare

During this time, the Russian Revolution was happening and the Communists, or Bolsheviks rose to power. Many Americans became fearful of the immigrants in the United States and communist threats to America’s economy. This is known as the “red scare”. There was a specific concern during this time that immigrants would not fit into America, which opposed the ideal of traditional America as the “melting pot”, incorporating all cultures and differences as a united and diverse society. This political cartoon says that the “melting pot” needs to remove the red flag communists and their “un-American ideals” from America. The cartoon says that “We can’t digest the scum” implying that the United States cannot accept the poison that Soviet immigrants may bring to the