Ding-dong, the wicked witch is dead.  E.Y. Harburg

Celebrating the coming of death to the New World  (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-salem-witch-hanging)

It’s interesting that on my week of exploring women’s  issues that the anniversary of the first government sanctioned murder of witches occurred in Salem and so the fear and loathing was officially rooted in the new world.

First of all you have to understand the Pilgrims—which means you pretty much have to forget everything  you know about these early refugees from England’s more civilized shore.  First the Puritans were not always popular in the in the British Isle—Eventually after a civil war (and by the time the trials occurred) they were responsible for the (or at least greatly contributed to) the death of a King (Charles I http://www.royal.gov.uk/historyofthemonarchy/kingsandqueensoftheunitedkingdom/thestuarts/charlesi.aspx) and the over throw of the Royal government by Parliament under their most famous leader Cromwell, during this period they rivaled Henry VIII in their destruction of historic churches (and unlike Henry beautiful art work) in the name of removing Rome from the church.   My favorite is their seeking religious freedom, interesting in a sect that were rabid in insisting their beliefs be accepted, to the determent of all others,  when they were in power.    After Cromwell died  his son inherited the position but the army over threw him and the Brits brought the King (Charles II http://www.royal.gov.uk/historyofthemonarchy/kingsandqueensoftheunitedkingdom/thestuarts/charlesii.aspx)

back.  Oh and parliament had Cromwell’s body exhumed and hung at Tyburn, then he was beheaded and the head placed on a spike and mounted,  as was common for those guilty of treason,  above Westminster (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell’s_head).

Then there was the colony itself–setting on the edge of a wilderness thousands of miles deep, and peopled by Godless (their interpretation not mine) creatures, that were labeled as savage and were in some cases enslaved by the settlers  the natives who were often hostile (now why would they do that?  ) as well as the wilderness was a constant threat to the colonist survival.  Conditions were primitive and it was a constant effort to survive and stay alive.

Now first you have to understand that as Witch’s incidents go the episode in Salem was a minor affair Of the 141 people arrested (1692-93) only 19 were hanged and 1 pressed to death.  Nor was it really the only episode involving witches in the colonies.  About 20 years before Hartford Conn. had witch trials and executions as well http://www.history.com/news/before-salem-the-first-american-witch-hunt  with an estimated 46  and approximately 11 executions.  All the deaths in the colonies couldn’t compare to Europe, in Scotland alone, which has traditionally been regarded as more zealous in its persecution of witches than its southern counterparts, had a quarter of England’s population, yet tried 2,500 people and had an execution rate of around 67 per cent.  http://www.historyextra.com/witchcraft

It is interesting to note that most of the victims were woman and the original accusers  young girls who had came under the influence of a slave woman (Tabitu) who reportedly started them on the road to dabbling in what must have at the time been considered, especially in this colony were dolls were not allowed;  black magic (telling each others fortune and listening to stories of the slave girl’s magic etc).  What resulted was sad, tragic and if stronger minds had not finally intervened might well have been much worse.  Hundreds or even thousands of studies have been done blaming everything from political and social problems to overly zealous nature of the colonists  themselves.  My favorite which is quite plausible is Ergotism, a food poisoning in bread flour that may have led to hallucinations.  http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=14928

But most of this witch craft seemed to be a woman’s thing–men did the execution but the original accusations were made by women against more women.    The girls escaped punishment and their own feelings of guilt (we won’t even go into raging hormones and repressed sexuality of teen girls—not to mention that for them to have become so “important” must have been a major power trip for girls who became feared and respected beyond anything they would  have ever expected to experience given the normal lives of colonial women) by turning on others and claiming of others making them do it.  (in the case the Devil Made Me Do It is the norm) and they turned on the odd and least powerful which again gives you the woman of the age, those with less power and less ability to fight back and/or stand against–interestingly enough only those who refused to confess their involvement with the devil were executed, all others were spared, so it would appear that those with the strongest  religious beliefs, or just down right stubborn would end with being the final victims.  Of note the slave Tabitu confessed and was spared punishment.

It  finally died down and faded away leaving Salem a minor tourist attraction with witches being the main topic still but now they pay taxes and entertain customers rather than mobs waiting for their condemination.   And it is a subject for professional papers, novels and plays with many reasons and excuses given for it’s happenings and has become bigger than life–an example of scape-goating and the prosecution of the innocent and the demonization of woman.

Sources:  THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WITCHES AND WITCHCRAFT by Rosemary Ellen Guiley