In 17th century England and New England, it was believed that a "witch's cake" had the power to reveal whether witchcraft was afflicting a person with symptoms of illness.Such a cake or biscuit was made with rye flour and the urine of the afflicted person.The cake was then fed to a dog. If the dog exhibited the same symptoms as the ill person, the presence of witchcraft was "proven."Why a dog?A dog was believed to be a common familiar associated with the devil.The dog was then supposed to point to the witches who had afflicted the victim.
In Salem Village, in the Massachusetts colony, in 1692, such a witch's cake was key in the first accusations of witchcraft that led to court trials and executions of many who were accused.The practice was apparently a well-known folk practice in English culture of the time.
What Happened?
Read MoreMary Sibley: Catalyst of the Salem Witch TrialsBy Jone Johnson Lewis
In Salem Village, Massachusetts,in January of 1692 (by the modern calendar), several girls began behaving erratically.One of these girls Elizabeth Parris, known as Betty, was nine years old at the time.She was the daughter of the Reverend Samuel Parris, the minister of the Salem Village Church. Another of the girls was Abigail Williams, who was 12 years old and an orphaned niece of Reverend Parris, who lived with the Parris family.The girls complained of fever and convulsions. The father tried prayer to help them, using the model of Cotton Mather, who had written about curing similar symptoms in another case. He also had the congregation and some other local clergy pray for the girls to cure their affliction.When prayer did not cure the illness, Reverend Parris brought in another minister, John Hale,and the local physician, William Griggs, who observed the symptoms in the girls and could find no physical cause. They suggested that witchcraft was involved.
Whose Idea Was It and Who Made the Cake?
A neighbor of the Parris family, Mary Sibley, recommended the making of a witch's cake to reveal whether witchcraft was involved.She gave directions to John Indian, an enslaved man serving the Parris family, to make the cake.He collected urine from the girls and then hadTituba, a woman also enslaved by the household, actually bake the witch's cake and feed it to the dog that lived in the Parris household. (Both Tituba and John Indian were brought to Massachusetts Bay Colony from Barbados and enslaved by Reverend Parris.)
Even though the attempted "diagnosis" revealed nothing, Reverend Parris denounced in church the use of this magic. He said it didn't matter if it had been done with good intentions,calling it "going to the devil for help against the devil."Mary Sibley, according to church records, was suspended from communion. Her good standing was restored when she confessed before the congregation, and the people of the congregation raised their hands to show they were satisfied with her confession. Mary Sibley then disappears from the records about the trials, though Tituba and the girls figure prominently.
The girls ended up naming those they accused of witchcraft.The first accused were Tituba and two local girls, Sarah Good and Sarah Osbourne.Sarah Osbourne later died in prison, and Sarah Good was executed in July.Tituba confessed to witchcraft, so she was exempted from execution, and she later turned accuser.
By the end of the trials early the following year, four accused witches had died in prison, one had been pressed to death, and 19 were hanged.
What Really Afflicted the Girls?
Scholars generally agree that the accusations were rooted in a community hysteria, primed by belief in the supernatural.Politics within the church likely played a part, with Reverend Parris at the center of a controversy regarding power and compensation.Politics in the colony likely also played a part: It was an unstable historical period.Some historians point to some long-standing squabbles among community members as some of the underlying problems that fueled the trials. All these factors are credited by many historians as playing a part in the unfolding of the accusations and trials.A few historians have also argued that grain that had been contaminated with a fungus called ergot may have caused some of the symptoms.
FAQs
The Puritans believed that physical realities had spiritual causes. For example, if the crop failed, the Devil may have played a role—and Satan could not take the form of an unwilling person. So if anyone claimed to have seen a ghost or spirit in the form of the accused, that person must be a witch.
What is believed to be the cause of the Salem witch trials? ›
Accusations followed, often escalating to convictions and executions. The Salem witch trials and executions came about as the result of a combination of church politics, family feuds, and hysterical children, all of which unfolded in a vacuum of political authority.
What was the witch cake in the Salem witch trials? ›
In 17th century England and New England, it was believed that a "witch's cake" had the power to reveal whether witchcraft was afflicting a person with symptoms of illness. Such a cake or biscuit was made with rye flour and the urine of the afflicted person. The cake was then fed to a dog.
What sparked the Salem witch event? ›
The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft.
What were the Puritan beliefs of the Salem witch trials? ›
Witches were thought to be able to harm people and therefore were feared greatly. The Puritans feared the Devil and God equally and “they believed the Devil was real, and had the intent to Page 2 C6-18 2 influence and harm” (Mills 16). People heard about and eye witnessed the fits the Afflicted girls were having.
What belief system was followed in Salem? ›
In the 17th Century, Salem, Massachusetts, was a community-oriented society with strong religious beliefs. The Puritans, and Puritan religious doctrine, dominated the area and they had a strong presence in daily life.
What can we learn from the Salem witch trials? ›
The Salem witch trials occurred in 1692 in colonial Massachusetts. The trials testify to the way fear and hysteria can ruin lives of innocent people and the importance of due process in protecting individuals against false accusations.
Who were the 19 witches of Salem? ›
Nineteen accused witches were hanged on Gallows Hill in 1692:
- July 19. Rebecca Nurse. Sarah Good. Susannah Martin. Elizabeth Howe. Sarah Wildes.
- August 19. George Burroughs. Martha Carrier. John Willard. George Jacobs, Sr. John Proctor.
- September 22. Martha Corey. Mary Eastey. Ann Pudeator. Alice Parker. Mary Parker. Wilmott Redd.
A historic example of moral panic is the Salem witch trials, which resulted in the deaths of 20 people in the 1600s. Today, moral panic is often amplified and sensationalized by the media. The media coverage gives rise to public concern and anxiety.
What food caused the Salem witch trials? ›
Caporeal which posited that during the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials, the visions of specters and painful physical sensations described by the girls who claimed to be afflicted by witches could have been caused from eating bread made with flour tainted by ergot, a naturally occurring fungal hallucinogen that grows on ...
The bible said only women that were “worthy of honor” were wives or upcoming wives that managed the households, otherwise they are witches if they mess up the functionality within the society. The Puritan gender norms of a wife were women as mothers, caretakers, and homemakers.
Did this bread cause the Salem witch trials? ›
In studying the accounts of those trials, and notes on the weather during that growing season, it is believed thatthese other cases were also caused by ergot poisoning. While so much time has passed to know for sure, it seems likely that the entire witchcraft scare was caused by some bad rye bread.
How did religious and cultural beliefs influence the Salem witch trials? ›
Religious and cultural beliefs influenced the Salem Witch Trials as the Puritans viewed witchcraft as a sin and threat to the community. The fear of supernatural forces and the deviation from a strict moral code fueled the accusations.
Who was responsible for the Salem witch trials? ›
Thomas Putnam- One of the wealthiest residents of Salem, and the first to seek warrants against accused witches. As a highly influential church member he was a driving force behind the trials.
Who was the first witch to be burned in Salem? ›
June 10- Bridget Bishop is executed on Proctor's Ledge at Gallows Hill in Salem. She is the first person to be executed during the Salem witch trials.
What is the moral of the Salem witch trials? ›
The Salem witch trials occurred in 1692 in colonial Massachusetts. The trials testify to the way fear and hysteria can ruin lives of innocent people and the importance of due process in protecting individuals against false accusations.
What religion persecuted the witches in the Salem witch trials? ›
Puritanism is probably the most important factor to consider when reflecting on the Salem witch trials, as it blinded its followers to such a degree that not only were women and men executed under suspicions of witchcraft, two dogs were killed as well.
What were the rules for the Salem witch trials? ›
Courts relied on three kinds of evidence: 1) confession, 2) testimony of two eyewitnesses to acts of witchcraft, or 3) spectral evidence (when the afflicted girls were having their fits, they would interact with an unseen assailant – the apparition of the witch tormenting them).
What was the religious hysteria in the Salem witch trials? ›
In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, accusing someone of witchcraft quickly became a common occurrence. Mass hysteria and paranoia combined with a rudimentary legal system meant that anyone could be convicted of being a witch—and sentenced to death because of it.
