5.2 The influence of Cotton Mather Flashcards
(36 cards)
1
Q
Mather’s background
Who were Cotton and his father?
A
- senior puritan clergymen is massachusetts
2
Q
Mather’s background
His family + His education
A
- cotton was a third-generation colonist
- his grandfather, Richard Mather, migrated to New England in the 1630s
- his grandfather on his mother’s side was John Cotton, a well-respected minister who also fled to New England
- Mather graduated from Harvard at 15
3
Q
Mather’s background
religous writings and training
A
- he wrote over 400 books
- by the time of salem, he had preached widely and published a number of works on witchcraft.
4
Q
The publication of Memorable Providences relating to Witchcrafts
published?
A
1689
5
Q
The publication of Memorable Providences relating to Witchcrafts
2 main sections
GP, S
A
- account of the ‘goodwin posessions’ which would serve to influence the posessions at Salem
- Anti-witch Sermon delivered by Mather and reprinted.
6
Q
the goodwin posessions
who were the goodwin family?
JG
A
- John Goodwin was a mason from Boston
- Mather recalled he had a wife and 6 children
- the entire family were puritans.
7
Q
the goodwin posessions
1688, first accusation of witchcraft? Martha Goodwin?
laundress, husband,
A
- 13 year old
- she accused the family laundress of the theft of some bed linen
- Mather was convinced it was used to practice witchcraft
- Mather notes before he died, even her husband complained she was a witch.
8
Q
the goodwin posessions
Mary Glover’s role?
MOTHER.
A
- mother of the servant
- she spoke Gaelic and was a Catholic living in Puritan Massachusetts
- mather claims when confronted with her daughter’s alleged theft, she swore at Martha Goodwin and she started having fits along with one of her sisters and 2 brothers.
9
Q
the goodwin posessions
Thomas Oakes
A
- concluded it was witchcraft, as all the children wer afflicted with pain in the same part of their bodies.
10
Q
the goodwin posessions
Mary Glover’s arrest: what happened at her trial?
A
- a search of her house revealed she had been making dolls out of rags and stuffing them with goat hair
- when one was given to her in court, the Goodwin children fell into fits and screamed in pain
11
Q
the goodwin posessions
Mather’s interview of Mary Glover, and subsequent execution
A
- Mather interviwed her in person
- he failed to rid her of the Devil or convert her to puritanism
- date of execution 16 November 1688
12
Q
the goodwin posessions
Martha Goodwin’s continued fits?
A
- they continued for some time
- but they eventually stopped
- it appeared the Goodwin children were cured
13
Q
the goodwin posessions
Mather’s interview with Glover before her death
A
- she named several witches who had assisted her in bewitching the children
- Mather never released their names because she felt the women who made a pact with the Devil would lie
14
Q
Instigators: Samuel Parris
who was Samuel Parris?
A
- the puritan minister of Salem
15
Q
Instigators: Samuel Parris
Samuel Parris’ background
A
- he was from London but moved to Boston and went to Harvard, then to Salem’s ministry after a career as a plantation owner
- During this year he tried to increase his salary, but faced problems within his congregation
- he found it difficult to settle their disputes as an outsider
16
Q
Instigators: Samuel Parris
towns refusal to pay his wages
A
- so, he purchased unneccessary items for the Puritan meeting house
- this strengthened the town’s animosity towards him
17
Q
Instigators: Samuel Parris
His sermon about the church + his family being accused
A
- he delivered a Sermon claiming the church was under siege by the Devil, who was being assisted by wicked men (his opponents) in the community
- shortly before this his own daughter and niece reported being bewitched
18
Q
the role of children
Samuel Parris’ daughter Elizabeth and her cousin Abigail Williams
venus glass, fortune telling, witchcraft
A
- 9 year old Elizabeth and 11 year old cousin began to experiemnt with fortune telling
- they were interested in finding out the social status of their future husbands
- they used a ‘venus glass’ which consisted of an egg white placed in water in which shapes/figures could be interpreted
- on one occasion, the shape revealed a coffin, and supernatural events started.
19
Q
the role of children
January 1692: Elizabeth evidence of witchcraft
concentration, bible, prayer, fits.
A
- she started to lose concentration
- she would forget prayers and bark like a dog when her father confronted her
- on hearing certain prayers she would scream and a bible once hurled across a room
- after prayer as an attempt to cure it, her symptoms continued, and she started having fits.
20
Q
the role of children
William Giggs and curing the fits
A
- doctor
- he said witchcraft was to blame and reccommended prayer and fasting as a cure
- as Puritans, the Parris family were already doing this, so it had little impact
21
Q
the role of children
Other children: Ann Putnam
A
- eldest child of thomas and ann
- the putnam family were influential in Salem Village
- 12 year old Ann was friends with Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams
- March 1692 she started showing similar symptoms
22
Q
the role of children
Ann Putnam: role in the persecution
A
- she played a leading role
- her name is mentioned over 400 times in the court documents
- she apologised for the part she played in the craze in 1706, claiming she was decieved by the Devil when she made her accusations
23
Q
the role of children
Mary Walcott
A
- 18 years old
- one of the first to suffer fits
- her aunt, Mary Sibley, decided to use counter-magic against some of the suspects, including tituba.
24
Q
the role of children
Mary Lewis
A
- 19 years old
- accused 8 people with evidence
- parents were killed in an Indian attack
- she became friends with Ann and Mary Walcott
25
# the role of children
Elizabeth Hubbard
- 17 years old
- one of the leading accusers
- she testified against 29 people
- 17 were arrested, 13 were hung, 2 died in jail
- she would have fits in the courtroom, and fall into trances where she could not speak
25
# the role of children
how was the role of children so central in Salem?
- they were called as witnesses at the trials
- Elizabeth Parris, Abigail Williams, and Ann Putnam had to be endorsed by adults because they were too young
26
# the motivations of the children
different explanations?
- **Bernard Rosenthal** suggested the girls were psychologically ill
- **Charles Upham** offered explanations such as hallucinations, naievity and excitement
- **Carol Karlsen** has suggested accusations were in response to their own insecurities
- **Mary Beth Norton** has suggested many of the girls were traumatised by the Indian attacks.
27
# Tituba
Who was Tituba and how did she first become involved?
| witch cake, dog, samuel parris
- her and her husband John Indian
- Tituba worked as a servant/slave of the Parrises
- she first became involved wehn Mary Sibley, aunt of Mary Walcott, approached them asking to make a witch cake to counter the posessions
- the cake included urine of the afflicted children, and was fed to the Parris family dog
- the dog was supposed to sniff out witches, but the girls fits only got worse, and Samuel Parris became suspicious of Tituba amd filed charges, triggering the hunt.
28
# Tituba
Tituba's background and suggestions about her knowledge?
| barbados, demonic posession
- Tituba and her husband were likely mixed Caribbean and Afircan heritage
- Tituba was purchased in Barbados, and it is likely Mary Sibley turned to them for magical assistance because they brought magical practicses with them from the West Indies
- Tituba likely played a role in looking after the Parris children, and it was suggested she told them stories of demonic posession and voodoo from her homeland
29
# Tituba
Tituba's confession: what did she claim
- she recalled the Devil was a white man dressed in black, who made her sign his book
- she claimed she had flown through the air using a pole and other witches changed into animals
30
# Tituba
What did Tituba also confess about her treatment?
## Footnote
-
she was beaten by Samuel Parris and forced to confess.
31
# the nature of the victims
victims being men
20%
32
# the nature of the victims
first 3 witches accused
| T, SG, SO
Tituba, Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne
33
# the nature of the victims
**Sarah Good**: who was she?
| background, accusations, testimonys, who she accused.
- social outcast accused of hurting children
- she was 40 years old, and originally not well off, but was destitute after making poor financial decisions and not marrying into money
- she resulted to begging
- her daughter and husband testified against her
- and her trail was originally delayed due to pregnancy
- she accused Sarah Osborne.
34
# the nature of the victims
**Sarah Osborne**: who was she?
| Irish, children, inheritance
- well-established widow
- she lived openly with an unmarried, Irish identured servant named Alexander Osborne and she attempted to remove children she had with her deceased husband from her inheritance.
35
# the nature of the victims
-
