The Salem Witch Trials

Salem, Massachusetts ~ Summer of 1692

Basically everyone in the Western world is familiar with the infamy and the horror of the Salem witch trials and the mass hysteria that consumed the area during the late 17th century. It’s easy to want to pretend it didn’t happen, or to downplay its cultural and societal significance as just an example of religious fanaticism at its worst. Religion does indeed play a large role in this phenomenon, and understanding this role in early American society is crucial when trying to understand why the fear of witchcraft, as silly as it may seem now, was so deeply embedded in the minds of many colonial Puritans. I don’t, however, think it was the only thing at play. I want to make the argument that the horrific and tragic events that took place in Salem during this time were a product of misogyny just as much as they were a product of a misguided religious frenzy.

I don’t think that this is a bold claim to make, either. Nearly everyone involved in these trials (aside from those who tried and sentenced them) were women. The entire series of event started with two young girls, Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams, who began acting strangely (violent fits, outbursts, contortions, and a variety of other seemingly unexplainable and alarming behaviors). As other girls in the community began to exhibit similar symptoms, doctors and townsfolk alike cried bewitchment. Arrest warrants were promptly issued to a collection of alleged witches thought to be responsible; this is where I think the prejudiced undertones become undeniably clear. Starting from the beginning and continuing on throughout many of the other instances of accused witchcraft, the supposed “witches” were often poor, old, widowed, or otherwise “rejected” women. They were easy targets, truly, and how can one prove innocence when accused of witchcraft?

A lack of medical knowledge and what I’m sure was a genuine fear and desire to put an end to these scary occurrences led the village of Salem to use the lower end of their society, specifically their women, as scapegoats. Whether or not there was tangible evidence of these women’s wrongdoings was not important not relevant. Just existing as a woman in the wrong place at the wrong time was damning enough to get you hanged. Several accused died in jail, but nearly all the convicted were sentenced to death by hanging as opposed to the general misconception that witches were burned at the stake.

There are a lot of factors to consider. One is Puritan society itself. Puritans were infamous for their strict, rigid, and intense interpretations of a just and biblical lifestyle, often at the expense of community members themselves. Their way of life was often unforgiving (think The Scarlet Letter). Another is the inevitable lack of understanding about physical and mental health that was widespread during this era. What was believed to be symptoms of bewitchment could be understood under a modern lens as symptoms of various psychological or mental disorders – not a sign of the devil, just a sign of humanity. But just as important, and often glossed over, is the way these older societies viewed women. Had women not been seen as generally inferior and often prone to temptation or unsavory activity (consider various examples of tempting, immoral women in the Bible, for example – even Eve herself), would they be the obvious and immediate culprits? Had women had the resources, the rights, and the confidence to adequately defend themselves, would they still be targets? Would they still have met the same horrid fate? I think the answers are obvious. How else have women throughout history been victims of a system that sought to oppress them at every turn?