The Salem Witchcraft Trials From 1692 To 1693

Salem Village, as part of the colony of Massachusetts Bay experienced turmoil from external and internal factors that contributed to the crisis known as the Salem Witchcraft Trials in 1692 to 1693. Being accused of witchcraft that lead to a trial was not unheard of before this event, however the scale and hysteria of the event can be attributed to a few factors. The mass hysteria experienced by Salem Village did not appear out of nowhere. There was a sense of unease and fear due to the ongoing war between New France and New England, King William’s War. Not far North of Salem Village there were raids of towns by Native American’s on behalf of the French, including Andover, Massachusetts where they burned the village, and in the following year

The changes in the Massachusetts Bay colony charter, when it was annulled and then the colony was unified in the Dominion of New England in 1686 by King James II and was governed by a single governor and members on an appointed council. The new leadership forced religious tolerance to all Protestant sects and the governor Edmund Andros was overthrown and arrested by militia in the April of 1689 in clear contempt for the changes he had made in the colony. There was unanimous agreement that his restriction of town meetings to one a year for election was wrong. The overthrow happened after the Glorious Revolution in England, where King James II was removed from power and was replaced by the reign of William and Mary. The colony existed without a royal charter until 1691, when King William & Queen Mary issued the new charter which was negotiated by Increase Mather, which to much disappointment was not the original charter and changed voting rights to tie with property ownership rather than full church membership which was the previous condition and kept the religious tolerance for protestant sects. The years between the overthrow of Andros and the arrival of Sir William Phips in 1692 the colony existed on the basis of it’s former charter, former governor Simon Bradstreet served as de-facto ruler and did not have the authority of

Salem Village was much less culturally advanced, and much more based on Puritan values of community than Salem Town which was engaging in commerce and more self indulgence. In Puritan religion, commerce and individuality were selfish and sinful and part of the society of England that the colonials fled. Salem Village was a breakaway town from Salem Town, based around the establishment of a new church. The church was not fully established until 1689, and thus the churchgoers before the full establishment were not full members. One of the first ministers of the church in Salem Village, George Burroughs, who resigned over issues of pay in 1683 was not only accused of witchcraft, but being a leader of a witches’ coven in April 1692, found guilty and hanged in August. In the year of 1690, the church gained 27 new members before the membership stagnated. In October 1691 the village committee was elected and the newly elected members were not part of the village covenant. It appeared that the village committee represented the majority of the village and Parris represented the devoted minority, causing institutionalised polarization. Some villagers refused to pay taxes to fund Reverend Samuel Parris’ salary and in a sermon he likened himself to Christ and his opponents as Judas, calling them “wicked men”. After his daughter