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Daily Life in Salem, Massachusetts• 550 people, 90 houses, 20 square miles
• Most people were poor & uneducated• Most families had to support themselves:
making their own clothes, planting vegetables, raising meat
• Farming was often a painstaking task in the harsh climate and rough, rocky terrain
• Endured many trials and • tribulations:
– cold winters, – disease– insect infestations– fires– pirate & Indian attacks
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Belief in the Devil/Witches• People saw the Devil lurking behind
every misfortune• Believed that the Devil was a real,
live enemy• Believed the Devil’s helpers were
witches• Believed that their hardships were
the work of the Devil as a punishment from God
• Witchcraft was a believable occurrence
• Witchcraft was a felony and punishable by death
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Salem’s Religion• Most people were Puritans
– Members of a religious group who left England to escape religious persecution
• Believed in predestination or “fate”• Believed if sinners asked for
forgiveness that they would be forgiven• Believed all people were born sinful• Men & women sat on opposite sides of
church• ALL daily activities were dictated by the
Church
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Behaviors and Beliefs
• Believed that Puritanism was the “right” and only way to live
• Believed sickness and failed crops were a sign of God and, therefore, would not help their fellow men
• Had to wear dark colors/plain clothing at all times
• Children were always expected to behave as adults
• Children did not “play” since toys & games were seen as sinful distractions
• All signs of emotion for all ages were punished
• Most were illiterate but those who did learn to read only read the Bible or other religious works
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Salem Government & Laws
• America was still under British rule/laws• Salem was theocracy (combined church &
state power) which meant religion could overtake government
• In order to be a judge and determine the fate of “criminals,” one did NOT need any legal background whatsoever
• Against the law to NOT attend church• Falling asleep in church or stealing food were
punishable in the same way
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The Salem Witch Trials• In 1692, 24 innocent people were killed after
being accused of witchcraft and over 150 were jailed in Salem, Massachusetts
• There was no “real” evidence against witches, only “spectral” evidence which could be made up by anyone
– A “Spectre” is the active agent of a live witch who could toture live humans
– A ghost is the active agent of a dead person• People accused their neighbors, most often for
personal suspicion, gain, or just plain hatred• Continued because a “domino effect” occurred
where those who were accused began to accuse others
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Witch Accusations
• Witch accusations spread all across the Massachusetts Bay area
• Those accused of witchcraft and killed could not be buried in religious cemeteries
• By 1693, it was recognized that the events of the Salem Witch Trials were wrong
• There were witchcraft accusations in America well into the 1700s (especially women, kids, the insane)
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What is a Witch?
• Definitions– A person who made a pact with
the Devil (traded his/her soul for special evil powers in which to torment others)
– Those who practiced Wicca, a religion that is based on nature
– The modern witch who wears a black hat, has a black cat (and sometimes a wart on her face), and flies on a broom
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How Does One “Prove” Witchcraft?
• Witch “Tests”– Swim test: victims were tied up and thrown into a
lake…if they sank, they were NOT witches, but drowned. If they floated they were witches and killed anyway
– Trick knife: a trick knife was used to “stab” the victims, if they didn’t bleed (which they wouldn’t), they were witches
– Witchcake: a “cake” was made with flour and the accused’s urine and fed to an animal, if the animal exhibited strange behavior, the accused was a witch
• Confession: if the accused confessed (usually under torture), it was used as evidence against that person
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Punishment
• In America, accused witches were hanged
• In Europe, accused witches were burned at the stake
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The Crucible
• A play written by Arthur Miller• Published in 1953• Written during a “modern-day
witch hunt”– McCarthyism & The “Red Scare”-a
search within America for Communists
• Themes: Social & economic pressures
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The Crucible vs. Salem
• Differences– The Crucible is BASED on the Salem Witch
Trials and 1692 Salem– It is not completely historically accurate
• Most events did occur and many characters did actually exist
• The Crucible is NOT a historical account of the Salem Witch Trials