Fluent Essays

only use attached sources, no outside sources History 349 – History of Crime in the United States Week 2 Worksheet Increase Mather “A Sermon (Preached at the Lecture in Boston in New-England […] (1675), excerpt. [Mather was president of Harvard – preacher] 1. What is the main influence of Mather’s belief system about law? (Think, is this human driven?) What does the sin of man represent to the community and their morals? 2. What does Mather mean when he says, “Again, Rebellion is a Crime which they that are guilty of, are wicked overmuch.” What is the significance of this statement? Both Readings: 1. What do Rebekah Chamblit’s and Levi Ames’ sermons wish to portray? Think about who their audience was? Did they take responsibility for their behavior? Did their sermons have a certain message to their community? 2. How do the Salem Witch Trials fit into Levi Ames’ or Rebekah Chamblit’s crimes? Meaning, what do Levi and Rebekah have in common with the accused in the Trials? What does these “crimes” say about Puritan society? Use the article you read about the Salem Witch Trials to answer this question. You must make a direct reference to your reading. If you read “The Declaration, Dying Warning and Advice of Rebekah Chamblit” (1733) answer these two questions. 1. Who does Rebekah blame for her crime? Does she offer excuses or ask for forgiveness? 2. What role does her speech play in the community? How do you think she wants people to feel about her crimes (Does she imagine that they scornful, supportive, afraid?) If you read “The Last Words and Dying Speech of Levi Ames” and Supplement (1773) answer these two questions 1. What does Levi point to as his beginning of his troubled life? What does this say about Puritan assumptions that it was man’s duty to learn a trade, provide for a family and contribute to the community? How does Levi’s sermon reiterate that fact? 2. Why do you think Levi lists all of his crimes and people he stole from? Was this for his own conscience? Salem Witch Trials HIST/PA/SOC 349 Overview of the Trials January, 1692: Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris, show strange symptoms Parris’s appointment as reverend had been controversial, and he hadn’t been paid for several months After symptoms could not be cured by prayer or medicine, Parris and others began to suspect witchcraft Betty, Abigail, and other children of families that supported Parris began accusing people of bewitching them OverView of the Trials Most women arrested for witchcraft initially are poor or marginalized As they begin accusing each other and other and the children continue their accusations, the trials sprawl to include more established members of the community Eventually, 20 people were killed (13 of them women), and over 200 were accused and jailed By January of 1693, many people (including Increase Mather) had grown skeptical of the proceedings Trials slow April,1693: Witch trials end Magic in Early Modern Society Magic was an important part of many folk traditions in English society Not just limited to peasants Magic was in some ways a local reaction to the uncertainty of life in the early modern period Two types of magic: White magic: magic that benefited the person using it or society as a whole (healing, love spells, etc.) Black magic (maleficium): magic that cursed or harmed another person (curses, sorcery) For much of the early modern period, only maleficium was considered witchcraft Woodcut illustration from the chapbook 'A Rehearsal both strange and true, of heinous and horrible acts committed by Elizabeth Stile, Alice Rockingham, Mother Dutton, Mother Devell, notorious Witches, apprehended at Windsor in the County of Berks,' 1579 Witchcraft as Satanic Pact Initially, many people did not believe that witchcraft, had a relationship to Satan The exceptions were elites and high church officials, who often said that witches got their power from a compact with the devil By the 17th century, this believe became more common Little differentiation made between white magic and maleficium Both were heresy Belief may have fueled increased number of witch hunts Nissenbaum and Boyer Wrote Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft (1974) Explained accusations of witchcraft as a result of social tensions over the future of the village Porters and their ilk in the eastern part of the village wanted more commercial orientation and closer ties to Salem Town Puritans in the western part of the village wanted more agrarian society and independence for the village Carol Karlsen Wrote The Devil in the Shape of a Woman (1987) Argued that accusations of witchcraft need to be understood as gendered Puritans didn’t believe that women were inherently evil; they posited instead that they were men’s helpmeets They were anxious about uncontrolled or independent women Witchcraft allegations were a reaction to these anxieties Elaine Breslaw Wrote Tituba: Reluctant Witch of Salem: Devilish Indians and Puritan Fantasies (1996) (You read an article based on part of that book) Argued that Tituba’s testimony played a major role in escalating witchcraft allegations Tituba, an Indian woman from Barbados, tied together elements of Indian, Barbadian, and Puritan traditions in a way that played on anxieties of elite Puritans Tituba was assumed to have authority in matters of witchcraft because she was a Native American woman Mary Beth Norton Wrote In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692. (2002) Argued that the Salem witch trials need to be understood in the context of events outside Salem itself, namely King Philip's War (1675-76) and King William's War (1688-99) Ongoing Indian Wars terrified New England colonists Many accusers in the trials were from regions (Maine) ravaged by the wars, and some of the accused were alleged to have aided Indians Allegations may have resulted from deep personal trauma Wars made the idea that New England was under attack from demonic forces seem plausible Crime in Colonial AMerica Trials in Colonial America Almost never involved a grand jury; magistrates had authority to determine which cases were pursued Seldom had trial juries except in capital cases Jurors were not expected to be unbiased until the 18th century Usually resulted in guilty verdicts Were public spectacles intended to act as morality lesson for those who observed them Penalties for Crimes Howard Schweber, "Ordering Principles: The Adjudication of Criminal Cases in Puritan Massachusetts, 1629-1650," Law & Society Review, Vol. 32, No. 2 (1998), 367-408. Neglect of Religion and Heresy Religious and civil authority were closely related Colonies often required church attendance and punished those who shirked their religious obligations or failed to honor the Sabbath New England colonies banished Jesuits and Quakers Quakers could be put to death if they returned Speech Crimes Jane Kamensky: Words had “Special powers and special dangers.” Blasphemy punished harshly Slander, including accusing someone of having a disease, challenging someone’s inheritance, or falsely accusing someone of a crime could be punished criminally Sex Crimes Crimes like sodomy and bestiality carried the death penalty under English law, but they were seldom prosecuted in England Puritans prosecuted large numbers of sex offenses Prosecuted for major crimes like sodomy, bestiality, and rape (though the latter was rare) Also prosecuted people for pre-marital or extra-marital sex Sex offenses resulted in death more frequently than any other category of offense in the 17th century Thomas Granger “And whereas some of the sheep could not so well be known by his description of them, others with them were brought before him and he declared which were they and which were not. And accordingly he was cast by the jury and condemned, and after executed about the 8th of September, 1642. A very sad spectacle it was. For first the mare and then the cow and the rest of the lesser cattle were killed before his face, according to the law, Leviticus xx.15; and then he himself was executed. The cattle were all cast into a great and large pit that was digged of purpose for them, and no use made of any part of them.” -William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation (1642). 18th-Century CHanges Colonies, even New England colonies, became more similar to England in their treatment of sex crimes Prosecutions for sex crimes lessened Punishments became less harsh Sexual mores relaxed somewhat Theft and Property Crime Often penalty of death under English law Chesapeake colonies executed people for stealing In the 17th century, New England did not execute thieves unless they were repeat or particularly egregious offenders In the 18th century, New England came to resemble English traditions more England instituted what were known as the “Bloody Codes” Prescribed death for even small thefts 18th century New England began to execute more people for property crimes Randolph Roth on Murder Rates Randolph Roth’s claims that homicide rates are lower when people: 1. Have faith that government is stable and capable of enforcing just laws 2. Trust in the integrity of legitimately elected officials 3. Have solidarity among social groups based on race, religion, or political affiliation 4. Have confidence that the social hierarchy allows for respect to be earned without recourse to violence. Murder Rates in the 18th Century Lower than in the 17th century Potential Explanations: Gender ratios in the Chesapeake colonies had stabilized King James II deposed in 1688 in Glorious Revolution Had been unpopular with colonists King Philip’s War (Metacom’s War) killed 600 people, mostly young men, in Southern New England and united the colonists against a common enemy As racial slavery solidified and became more codified, white colonists were united by common interest Violence redirected toward slaves Pillory John Waller being pelted to death at Pillory. (Image taken from The Newgate Calender (1824-1828) Ducking (or Cucking) Stool Ducking stool currently on display in Leominster, England Whipping Late 18th Century Changes Greater concern with fate of individual sinners Greater concern with redemption narrative Less emphasis on crime as detrimental and dangerous to the whole physical body of society.