HIST134S: Midterm ID Terms - the Trial of Anne Hutchinson & the Salem Witch Trials

Witch Cake & Witches' Familiars

Familiar was the pet which contained a spirit or minor demon believed to serve a witch and help him/her carry out evil deeds. Gift for signing the devil's book. Evidence of witchcraft included finding a third tit on the witch (could be birthmark or mole, etc.) which would be where the familiar suckled. Witch's cake was made with the urine of the afflicted person, fed the familiar, and the familiar would point out the witch.

George Burroughs

Former minister of Salem; accused of killing two former wives of his, accused of witchcraft. Cotton Mather considered him the ringleader of the witches. Delivered Lord's prayer before his hanging.

"covenant of works"

The idea that good deeds and adherence to moral law would deliver one to salvation.

Fifth Commandment

"Honor thy mother and father." Hutchinson was tried for violating the 5th commandment for holding the conventicles, claimed she violated the authority of those above her. Not literal.

Glorious Revolution of 1688 and John Locke

A bloodless revolt in England against Catholic King James II that led to his overthrow and the appointment of Protestant daughter Mary to the throne. At the same moment Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke are challenging the divine right, witch trials continue. Soon Enlightenment thinking would offer scientific rather than supernatural explanations for natural phenomenon.

John Wheelwright

A colonist who was forced out of Massachusetts for agreeing with Anne Hutchinson - founded New Hampshire; dissenting minister who believes that Wilson was preaching a "covenant of works". Wheelwright was disliked for being inclusive, as he addressed his congregation as "brothers and sisters," rather than brethren, they thought this revealed he was under the influence of Anne.

Roger Williams

A dissenter, Roger Williams clashed with Massachusetts Puritans over the issue of separation of church and state. After being banished from Massachusetts in 1636, he traveled south, where he founded the colony of Rhode Island, which granted full religious freedom to its inhabitants.

Trial by Ordeal

A primitive method of determining a person's guilt or innocence by subjecting the accused person to dangerous or painful tests believed to be under divine control. Ex: the accused would grab molten iron and walk with it, the wound would be wrapped and then looked at a couple days later. If it was healing the person was innocent, if it became infected the person was guilty.

Anne Hutchinson

A religious dissenter whose ideas provoked an intense religious and political crisis in the Massachusetts Bay Colony between 1636 and 1638. She challenged the principles of Massachusetts's religious and political system. Held conventicles in her house, believed that preachers in the Mass. Bay colony had begun to promote a covenant of good works, said that she was receiving direct revelations from God.

Puritans

A religious group who wanted to purify the Church of England. They came to America for religious freedom and settled Massachusetts Bay in 1629, didn't want to break off from the Church completely, but wanted to reform it ("City Upon a Hill")

William Hutchinson

Anne Hutchinson's husband, prolific and successful businessman who traveled to the Mass. Bay colony with Anne after she said she received a direct message from God. Hutchinson is generally well-liked, even though he is a member of a "suspect-class," (merchants) he convinces the community that he has experienced conversion, becomes a visible saint, and is elected to the State legislature.

The Crucible

Arthur Miller's play based on the events of the trials. Chose the 1692 Salem witch trials as his setting, but the work is really an allegorical protest against the McCarthy anti-Communist "witch-hunts" of the early 1950s.

Deodat Lawson

Lawson leaves Salem village in 1688, but asked to return by Putnams in 1692; Putnam's choice for minister in Salem Village whose ordinances left divide.

Coveture

Civil death (feme covert); status of a married woman under English common law. A legal doctrine that said when a woman becomes married, a woman's legal rights and obligations were subsumed by those of her husband. Married women cannot buy or sell property, make contracts, sue, or be sued. Shows how the role of the woman was downplayed and subservient, Anne holding her own conventicles defied this role.

The Plymouth Colony

Colony established by religious Separatists seeking a free place from the Church of England; Separatists left England for Holland in 1607-1608 but feared children were being tempted by Dutch city life, Plymouth company and the Separatists then strike a deal to fund their immigration to the area in hopes of establishing their ideal religious settlement (Separatists) and making a profit (company itself); first wave of immigration (Puritans were the second).

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Colony established in New England area in 1629 with more than 1000 Puritans under John Winthrop, a prosperous Puritan lawyer named John Winthrop. Took charter with them. Theocracy; city set on a hill. Not a story of religious freedom. Puritans wanted to practice their religion freely, but did not really tolerate other denominations (Alien exclusion laws: non-Puritans only allowed to stay in the Colony for three weeks, mandatory church attendance, etc.)

Samuel Parris

Controversial minister who takes over after Lawson in 1688 and further divided Salem - wanted his own house, gold candlesticks, firewood and was a failed businessman; two girls would be the ones to have the first fits. Also a failed businessman from Barbados, turned to ministry, resents commercial success of the colony's merchants.

Predestination

Created by John Calvin, predestination claimed that humans cannot earn salvation, God chooses people who will go to heaven. Basically, Salvation is predetermined, a rejection of the idea that salvation could be earned through good works. Moment of grace/conversion: time in life when a person realizes they're one of the chosen.

Indian Raids

Due to Salem village's close proximity to the frontier, Indian Raids were a realistic fear. This fear caused a tremendous deal of stress in the lives of the Puritans. Also the idea that every event was an act of God has the people on Salem village on edge (Why is God doing this?) and looking for sources of unholiness in the colonies. One of the accusers, Mercy Lewis, was orphaned in an Indian raid. This demonstrates that many of the Puritans had first hand experience with the horrors of these raids.

Giles Corey

Elderly inhabitant of Salem. He challenges the court and refuses to testify against his wife. He is pressed to death as a result. Motivation: 1. Save his wife; he feels responsible for her accusation (says she was reading books). 2. He wants to preserve his farm for his family (those accused lost all property rights for their family).

Absolute Truth

God's word is the only word to listen to and is the correct way for everything.

Touch Test

If an afflicted person - throwing fits and the like - suddenly becomes calm after the accused places their hand on him/her, then the toucher is most certainly a witch.

Jezebel

Jezebel incited her husband King Ahab to abandon the worship of Yahweh and encourage worship of the deities Baal and Asherah instead. Jezebel persecuted the prophets of Yahweh, and fabricated evidence of blasphemy against an innocent landowner. Winthrop calls Hutchinson an "American Jezebel," shows they believe she was trying to sow discord and encourage the worship of false prophets.

Cotton Mather

Leading minister in Puritan New England. In some ways, a man of the Enlightenment. Interested in science (hybridizations, inoculations). But also wrote the 1689 book on witchcraft (includes discussions of symptoms that may have been read by Salem accusers). Represents a society on the crossroads between modernity and supernatural superstitions of the past. Argues that spectral evidence should be admissible.

World of Signs and Wonders

Life is not randomly cruel: comets, eclipses, fires, epidemics, deformed births, dreams, crop failures—all were signs from God. Witches were servants of the devil who has forsaken Christianity. People believed neighbors whom they disliked causes their illnesses, misfortune, etc. Shows how petty revenge influenced trials and that Salem was on the verge of the modern world (but not quite there).

Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne

Local Salem magistrate and was chosen by Governor Sir William Phips to be a judge in the Salem Witch Trials. They were also both judges in the court during the trials, Hathorne was initially a judge and Corwin became a judge after Saltonstall resigned due to the use of spectral evidence. They both accepted the use of this evidence in the trials.

Abigail Williams

Niece of Rev. Parris one of the first girls to be afflicted.

The Putnam Family

Old colonial Puritan family which was founded by John and Priscilla Gould Putnam in the 17th century, in Salem, Massachusetts. Personal assault and revenge played a role in the accusations, often the result of harsh feuds and bitter memories. The members of the Putnam family were significant contributors to this aspect of the hysteria. Ann Putnam was one of the afflicted girls, Thomas Putnam becomes a high profile accuser.

Rebecca Nurse

One of the "visible elite" within the Salem community, was accused of being a witch because she "killed"' Goody Putnam's seven (miscarried) babies. Her significance comes on the opposite end of Goody Osborne, breaks away from the accused "outsider" narrative. Refuses to confess, is hanged.

Goody Osborn

One of the first accused, she was what many would call a "usual" suspect of witchcraft because she was a widow and hadn't attended church in 3 years. Her significance comes from how one can measure the standard which the "witch" accusations progress along. They start off as believable then gradually become more unbelievable. It also showed the theme of sexism in that she was a widow, a woman living independently in a patriarchal society; legal disputes with the Putnam family.

Ergot poisoning theory

One of the main ideas presented as to why the girls were having fits and convulsions - has been heavily disputed but stated that there was ergot (type of fungus) in the wheat that causes LSD like effects.

Tituba

Parris' neighbor Mary Sibley, aunt of one of the afflicted girls, asks Parris' slave Tituba to make a "witch cake." Often depicted as a slave of African descent, probably not accurate. Described in primary sources as an Indian and Spanish Indian. One of the first accused, confesses and accuses others.

Society of Deference

People know their place in the social hierarchy, recognize others as their betters. Much different from today's more egalitarian society.Fathers have authority of households: women, children, hired/indentured servants, and slaves all dependent on the persons above them. Social and political order depended on everyone knowing their place.

Visible Saints

People who had a "conversion" experience who were expected to lead holy lives and demonstrate holy behavior since they were chosen to be part of the elect, had a lot of power in the Puritan colonies.

Great and General Court of Mass. Bay

Presided over by Winthrop, members were elected but the other voters were those that the General Court deemed to be "visible saints." All three branches of gov't in one. Showed how power was centralized around one group.

Banning of Christmas

Puritans argued that this was a Pagan tradition as there was no proof that Jesus was born on this day, laws in the Puritan society has to be based on Scripture from the Bible, there was no Bible verse which supported the idea of Christmas. Shows how rigid Puritan society was in their adherence to the Bible.

Doctrine of Just Price

Puritans believed that making a small profit was okay, but too much of a profit was sinful. For every service or good, there was a just price, and more than that was "oppressive" and sinful. This makes businessmen uneasy.

Indulgences

Remission of the punishment for sin by the clergy in return for services or payments promoted by the Catholic Church. Helped sow the seeds of discord which led to Puritan dissatisfaction with the Church.

John Hale

Reverend from Beverly who knows some information about witchcraft, thinks he is enlightened, has two daughters, while an inciter of the trials regrets his part and begins to doubt the legitimacy of the accusations, tries to save people. His wife is accused by one of the girls.

Role of Lawyers (Salem Witch Trials)

Salem was ruled by English law at the time which dictated that if a grand jury handed up a "true bill," which indicates that there is evidence of misbehavior, the person would be indicted and a formal trial by jury would follow. Could have no paid lawyers due to Doctrine of Just Price, so the case proceeded without it. This was significant because this showed to beginnings of the American legal system, even though there weren't lawyers many other aspects of the court was present, this revealed the progression of the American legal system.

Salem Town v. Salem Village

See values of Salem town as a looming threat, see Salem village as the last line of defense against the evil values of the Salem town, Salem village members want an official Salem village church. (Church - a gather of people who have been accepted by ordained ministers as "visible saints.")

Conventicles

Small meetings held in houses after church meant to study the sermon delivered and the Bible, Anne Hutchinson holds these meetings in her house. There are rumors that in her conventicles, Hutchinson affirms a new basis for absolute truth: immediate personal communion with the Holy Ghost (ie. She claims she gets direct revelations from God - heresy).

John Wilson

Stressed the need for "preparation for grace," sanctification—living a godly life day to day: someone who lives this way would be prepped for grace; outward behavior could be taken as a sign. At odds with Anne Hutchinson's beliefs.

Doctrine of Preparationism

The idea that there are steps you can take to get in a proper frame of mind so that one can be fully receptive to conversion if it were forthcoming. Critics, like Hutchinson, called this a "covenant of works," it encouraged people to commit actions (ie. good works) that would get them closer to that moment of grace.

Court of Oyer and Terminer

The name of the emergency court that was commissioned to try accused witches in Salem.

"A Model of Christian Charity"

This spelled out the Massachusetts Bay colony's social and political ideals. It declared that Massachusetts "shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us." The settlers would build a harmonious, godly community in which individuals would subordinate their personal interests to a higher purpose. The result would be an example for all the world and would particularly inspire England to live up to its role as God's "elect nation." Shows that they wanted to be an example used to reform the Anglican church.

Spectral Evidence

Used during the witch trials in Salem; testimony of the accused who claimed to have seen a person's spirit performing witchcraft in dreams or visions doing the Devil's bidding, but only they could see it. Later banned in 1692.

Massachusetts Bay v. Jamestown

Virginia Company (1606), joint-stock company starts Jamestown. Shareholders want to earn quick and immediate profits. First settlers were young, male adventurers looking to get rich. First 10k, 8k are dead within a year of arrival. The Starving Winter of 1609: Jamestown settlers starve, in some cases end up cannibalizing each other. Puritans were not coming for profits, but rather religious freedom.

King William's War

War btwn. English and French/natives on Canadian Border. England is at War with France as a result of the Glorious Rev. of 1688, Louis XIV supported James II vs. William & Mary. French and Native American allies (Wabanaki Confederacy) launch bloody raids on outlying Puritan settlements in Maine and Western Mass. Puritans believed that, before they arrived, New England was a town of Satan. Believed Native Americans were tools of the devil, Indian raids frightened them. Bloody war in which half of Puritan towns in New England attacked and 10% of men of military age died.

Compurgation

make accused read a difficult document to a crowd, usually religious, if stumbled, signified guilt.