Compare+and+Contrast+Two+Nonfiction+Articles+about+the+Salem+Witch+Trials

=The Two Articles: =

The Salem Witch Trials, 1692

The seeds of the hysteria that afflicted Salem Village, Massachusetts were sown in January 1692 when a group of young girls began to display bizarre behavior. The tight-knit community was at a loss to explain the convulsive seizures, blasphemous screaming, and trance-like states that afflicted the youngsters. The physicians called in to examine the girls could find no natural cause of the disturbing behavior. If the source of the affliction was not attributable to a physical malady, the community reasoned that it must be the work of Satan. Witches had invaded Salem.

In February the village began praying and fasting in order to rid itself of the devil's influence. The girls were pressured to reveal who in the community controlled their behavior. Three women were identified and examined. One, Tituba (a slave), confessed to seeing the devil who appeared to her "sometimes like a hog and sometimes like a great dog." Even more troubling, Tituba confessed that a conspiracy of witches permeated Salem Village.

In March the afflicted girls accused Martha Corey. The three women previously denounced as colluding with the devil were marginal to the community. Martha Corey was different; she was an upstanding member of the Puritan congregation - her revelation as a witch demonstrated that Satan's influence reached to the very core of the community. Events snowballed as the accusatory atmosphere intensified and reached a fever pitch. During the period from March into the fall many were charged, examined, tried and condemned to death. The hangings started in June with the death of Bridget Bishop and continued through September. As winter approached, the hysteria played itself out as criticism of the procedures grew. In October, the colonial governor dissolved the local Court of inquiry. The convictions and condemnations for witchery stopped. Nineteen victims of the witch-hunt had been hanged, one crushed to death under the weight of stones and at least four died in prison awaiting trial.

The Trial of Martha Corey

Friday March 11, 1692 was a day of fasting and prayer in Salem. During the day the community's minister, the Rev. Samuel Parris, asked the girls to reveal another witch. They did, and the accusation shocked those who heard it for it implicated Martha Corey (Goodwife Corey) a new but upstanding member of the congregation. Immediately a delegation was sent to the Corey farm to interview the accused in the hope of clearing up this discrepancy. Martha Corey's sarcastic response to the accusation disheartened the delegation who immediately called for her arrest. Her trial was the scene of much agitation. In the courtroom Martha's accusers writhed in agony as they were forced by an unseen power to mimic the witch's every movement. When Martha shifted her feet the girls did also, when Martha bit her lip the girls were compelled to bit their own lips, crying out in pain. They saw the specter of a black man bending over the accused and heard the drum beat calling the witches to convene on the meetinghouse lawn. Deodat Lawson, a visiting minister, describes the scene:

"On, Monday, the 21st. of March, the magistrates of Salem appointed to come to examination of Goodwife Corey. And about twelve of the clock they went into the meeting house, which was thronged with spectators. Mr. Noyes began with a very pertinent and pathetic prayer, and Goodwife Corey being called to answer to what was alleged against her, she desired to go to prayer, which was much wondered at, in the presence of so many hundred people. The magistrates told her they would not admit it; they came not there to hear her pray, but to examine her in what was alleged against her. The worshipful Mr. Hathorne asked her why she afflicted those children. She said she did not afflict them. He asked her, 'Who did then?' She said, 'I do not know; how should I know?'

The numbers of the afflicted persons were about that time ten, viz. four married women: Mrs. Pope, Mrs. Putnam, Goodwife Bibber, and an ancient woman named Goodall; three maids-. Mary Walcut, Mercy Lewes, at Thomas Putnam's, and a maid at Dr. Griggs's; there were three girls from nine to twelve years of age, each of them, or thereabouts, viz. Elizabeth Parris, Abigail Williams, and Ann Putnam.


 * (It is estimated that Salem Village contained approximately 550 residents at the time of the trials.) ||
 * (After her examination, Martha Corey was tried and convicted of witchcraft. She was hanged on September 22, 1692.) ||


 * (Martha's husband, Giles, was also accused of witchcraft. He refused to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty and under church law was tortured by having heavy rocks placed on him until a plea was obtained. Giles refused to talk throughout the ordeal and died. This was on September 19, three days before his wife's execution) ||

These were most of them at Goodwife Corey's examination, and did vehemently accuse her in the assembly of afflicting them, by biting, pinching, strangling, etc.; and that they did in their fit see her likeness coming to them, and bringing a book to them. She said she had no book. They affirmed she had a yellow bird that used to suck betwixt her fingers; and being asked about it, if they had any familiar spirit that attended her, she said she had no familiarity with any such thing; she was a gospel woman, which title she called herself by. And the afflicted persons told her ah, she was a gospel witch. Ann Putnam did there affirm that one day when Lieutenant Fuller was at prayer at her father's house she saw the shape of Goodwife Corey and she thought Goodwife N, praying at the same time to the Devil. She was not sure it was Goodwife N.; she thought it was, but very sure she saw the shape, of Goodwife Corey. The said Corey said they were poor, distracted children, and no heeds to be given to what they said. Mr. Hathorne and Mr. Noyes replied it was the judgment of all present they were bewitched, and only she, the accused person, said they were distracted.

It was observed several times that if she did but bite her under lip in time of examination, the persons afflicted were bitten on their arms and wrists and produced the marks before the magistrates, ministers, and others. And being watched for that, if she did but pinch her fingers, or grasp one hand hard in another, they were pinched, and produced the marks before the magistrates and spectators. After that, it was observed that if she did but lean her breast against the seat in the meeting house (being the bar at which she stood), they were afflicted. Particularly Mrs. Pope complained of grievous torment in her bowels as if they were, torn out. She vehemently accused said Corey as the instrument, and first threw her muff at her, but that not flying home; she got off her shoe, and hit Goodwife Corey on the head with it. After these postures were watched, if said Corey did but stir her feet, they were afflicted in their feet, and stamped fearfully.

The afflicted persons asked her why she did not go to the company of witches which were before the meeting house mustering. Did she not hear the drum beat? They accused her of having familiarity with the Devil, in the time of examination, in the shape of a black man whispering in her ear; they affirmed that her yellow bird sucked betwixt her fingers in the assembly; and, order being given to see if there were any sign, the, girl that saw it said it was too late now; she had removed a pin, and put it on her head, which was found there sticking upright.

... She denied all that was charged upon her, and said they could not prove her a witch. She was that afternoon committed to Salem prison; and after she was in custody, she did not so appear to them and afflict them as before."

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">References:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Lawson, Deodat, A Brief and True Narrative of Some Remarkable Passages Relating to Sundry Persons Afflicted by Witchcraft at Salem Village(1692) [reprinted in Commager, Henry Steele, The Heritage of America (1949)]; Starkey, Marion, The Devil in Massachusetts (1989); Trask, Richard, "The Devil Hath Been Risen" (1997).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">How To Cite This Article:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> "The Salem Witch Trials, 1692," Eyewitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2000).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">In 17th century New England, people lived in constant fear of the Devil. As a result of this fear, innocent people were blamed for doing the work of the Devil as witches. Many people were brought into court, tried and then sometimes executed for not admitting to something they did not do. People who did confess to doing witchcraft however were often spared. They made their names evil but kept themselves alive. Today, in the 21st century, it is presumed that witches do not exist and all the commotion in New England during this time period was a result of speculation. Presumably, idea of witchcraft is in fact fallacious. Historians have used evidence from the time period to attribute the cause of these accusations to something more believable and possible. Two theories that have been proposed are that the afflicted accusers in Salem were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from family deaths in the wars with the native Indians, and that the afflicted suffered from a very rare but feasible disease, ergot's.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 32px;">Logical Causes of the Salem Witch Trials **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> In the article “They Called it Witchcraft” by Mary Beth Norton, an alternate theory is proposed explaining a somewhat logical explanation of how the Salem witch trials came to be. Norton first explains how even the most normal life occurrences, like illnesses, household disasters, and financial issues were attributed to supernatural evil spirits all leading back to the Devil’s work by a witch. Norton believes that these accusations were a result of post-traumatic stress disorder wars fought between Puritans and American Indians. In the story of the trials, one of the first people accused of being a witch was the household slave of the town Reverend Parris who was believed to have come from Barbados. Norton suggests that the slave, Tituba, was not actually from the Barbados and that she was in fact an American Indian. Her evidence to support this bold statement was that most slaves in Massachusetts during this time period were from North America, more specifically from Florida and Georgia. Tituba’s accusation sparked the later accusations. Puritans held such a grudge against the Indians as they believed they were god’s chosen people. This conflicted with the Indians as the Puritans believed that that had the devil on their side and this was why the Indians were beating them in the war. After losing loved ones in the war with Indians, it is natural that people would accuse the Indians for their daily problems. If in fact Tituba was an American Indian and not from the Barbados, Norton proposes a logical argument especially because the other accusations stemmed from that of Tituba.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> In the article “Ergot's: The Satan Loosed in Salem?” By Linnda R. Caporael, another possible explanation to the crisis known as the Salem witch trials is proposed. Caporael proposes that the afflicted or “bewitched” people had the disease called ergot's. Ergot’s came from the ergot fungus that grew on rye grains during warm and damp springs and summers. Ergot’s was developed from eating bread contaminated with ergot. Ergot’s has symptoms of “crawling sensations in the skin, tingling in the fingers, vertigo, tinnitus aurium, headaches, disturbances in sensation, hallucination, painful muscular contractions…” and so forth. With its symptoms, ergot’s presents itself as a very possible explanation for the behavior of the afflicted people in Salem. Some of these feelings like crawling in the skin may seem impossible and supernatural like the devil must be responsible for it. Ergot’s is one of the only other things that can explain these sensations. The symptom of hallucination can explain how the afflicted “saw” the people accused with the Devil. Furthermore, Caporael shows even more extensive evidence for the presence of ergot’s in Salem. The northern Atlantic coast is in fact a prime growing spot for rye, one of the main hosts for ergot. The puritans’ system of grain storage fits with the time sequence of the crisis. The contaminated grain would have been used around the Thanksgiving period which would support the fact that the young girls started having these supernatural symptoms in December 1961. Ergot’s, although rare, is a very possible and feasible explanation for the Salem crisis.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> The Salem witch trials are a very important point in history displaying how religious beliefs can cause irrational behavior and can lead to the deaths of innocent people. Mary Beth Norton and Linnda R. Caporael believe that the events of this crisis can be attributed to more logical means. Norton believes that the accusations stem from the post-traumatic stress disorder of family losses in war with American Indians. Caporael believes that the supernatural occurrences can be linked to the disease ergot’s. Although both authors make very convincing arguments, Ergot’s is the more feasible explanation. Norton’s argument is inferior merely because there is not enough evidence to support it. Though it may be true that people possessed post-traumatic stress disorder there is no spectral evidence from Salem suggesting that this was the origin of the accusations. On the other hand, Caporael’s argument provides a clear explanation of how Ergot’s did exist and how its symptoms can be clearly linked to the actions of the afflicted girls. She also displays the high possibility of Ergot’s existing in New England. Ergot’s is a very interesting yet convincing possibility of how this crisis came to be in 17th century Salem.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 140%; text-align: center;"> My Essay:

**__<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Compare/ Contrast Two Nonfiction articles about The Salem Witch Trials __** The two articles I selected are both about the Salem Witch Trials, but they couldn’t be any more different. While my first article focuses on exposing the details of the trials, the second article discusses possible theories as to why the trials ever began. One article speaks in a way that helps you picture every trial in your mind, while the other article helps you understand the logical and sensible backgrounds of the whole story. Nonetheless, both articles help you understand two extremely different views on the same subject. My first article is called, “The Salem Witch Trials, 1692” and although the author of the article is unknown, we do know that the article was written for the website EyewitnesstoHistory. com. The authors of this piece gathered their information from // A Brief and True Narrative of Some Remarkable Passages Relating to Sundry Persons Afflicted by Witchcraft at Salem Village // by Deodat Lawson; //The Heritage of America// by Henry Steele; //The Devil in Massachusetts// by Marion Starkey; and “The Devil Hath Been Risen” by Richard Trask. This first article is a short biography of the major events in the Salem Witch Trials. The authors like to focus on the deaths and trials, rather than on the causes of the trials. At one point, the article talks about one particular trial that stirs interest not only for historians today, but also for the people who were at the Witch Trials in 1692. The person accused of witchcraft was a steady church-goer and believed majorly in God. So when the “cursed” girls accused her of, “doing the work of the Devil”, it caused a turning point in the trials. This accusation made people believe that the Devil truly was taking over people’s minds. The article also continues to talk about other deaths and trials, but always mentions the idea that witches truly existed for the people in 1692. The second article took a practical turn on events. This article is appropriately titled, “Logical Causes of the Salem Witch Trials” and is written by a guy who goes by the name Zanders on TeenInk.com. This website allows teens to read and write articles about any subject that interests them. Zanders chose to write a piece that takes a sensible look towards the story of the Salem Witch Trials. Unlike my first article, this one talks about diseases and mental disorders that may have contributed to making the “cursed” girls accuse people of witchcraft. Zanders mentions other articles he read that talk about two diseases that are possible reasons for the “cursing”. The diseases are ergots and post-traumatic stress disorder. Throughout the article, he compares the two, and decides that ergots’ is a more logical theory. He continues to explain reasons why the girls would never have said any of the accusations, if not for a mental disorder they were suffering from. As you can see, the two articles are as different as orange juice and milk. They are both breakfast beverages, but one is a citrus fruit and the other is dairy. Just as the two beverages are different, and also alike, these two articles are similar in subject, but different in theme. While one is an expository piece that prefers to just tell the story of the trials, the other is an essay material that wants to theorize different possibilities as to why the girls ever accused anyone of witchcraft. I notice that my first article doesn’t mention much logic, only says that people believed in witches and the Devil. Meanwhile, my second article likes to point out that no, there were never any witches, the whole town was just sick and crazy. I like to believe the girls really were just playing a trick on the whole town, but it isn’t hard to sometimes wonder if there was an unknown epidemic going on in the town that caused such unbelievable behavior from the town’s citizens.