The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750 - 5…

The idea

Cotton Mather, a Boston minister, shaped elite and popular belief through Memorable Providences (1689), which linked witchcraft to bodily possession and endorsed spectral evidence. In Salem Village, Samuel Parris's household became the epicentre: his daughter Betty and niece Abigail Williams, alongside other children, accused neighbours, while Tituba, an enslaved woman in the Parris home, confessed to covenanting with the Devil and named confederates. The victims were mostly middling women, but also men and children, often socially marginal or in disputes with accusers. The Court of Oyer and Terminer tried and executed nineteen by hanging and one by pressing, using spectral and confessional evidence. Assess causation and significance, not just narrative.

What earns the marks

• Explains how Memorable Providences provided a learned framework that validated spectral evidence and possession, influencing judges and clergy.
• Analyses Samuel Parris's role as complainant, preacher and household head, linking his sermons and disputes to the accusations.
• Assesses the children's accusations as both initiators and sustained witnesses, considering their social position and credibility.
• Evaluates Tituba's confession as a turning point that expanded the scope of accusations and introduced the Devil's covenant.
• Characterises the victims by gender, age, status and reputation, showing patterns and exceptions.
• Examines the trials and executions, including the use of spectral evidence, confessions, and the refusal of some to plead.
• Weighs the relative importance of Mather, Parris, children and Tituba in escalating the hunt.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Treating Cotton Mather as the sole cause.

  Put it right by situating his writings within local village tensions and legal procedures.

• Assuming all victims were women.

  Put it right by noting that men and children were also accused and executed.

• Presenting Tituba's confession as voluntary and reliable.

  Put it right by considering coercion, enslavement and her status in the Parris household.

• Confusing Salem Village with Salem Town.

  Put it right by distinguishing the rural village from the prosperous port.

• Using modern psychological labels without evidence.

  Put it right by analysing contemporary beliefs about possession and the Devil.

Exam tips

• Plan essays around the stated categories: influence, instigators, victims, trials and executions.
• Use specific examples from Memorable Providences and the Salem examinations to support each claim.
• When assessing significance, compare the roles of Mather, Parris, children and Tituba rather than listing them.
• Integrate interpretations of causation and evidence throughout, not only in a conclusion.