1692 to 1693, the puritan law was the manner of life, in the years of the Salem witch trials. The Laws that were in place were the Laws of the Christian Bible which they followed deeply.

     The accusations of witchcraft was a sign of just those intolerances of that justification for the actions that local clergy and civil community leaders inflicted on the women accused, tried, and convicted. (Gragg) The Puritan Movement: Influences on American History  states that Puritan law in the colonized New World was harsh and extreme, civil law was deep into the lives of the citizen in his business and social relations; it regulated religious affairs, it dictated how to dress and even invaded the home life and directed family relations. Puritan way of life was extremely restrictive especially towards women; women were taught to read so that they could read the bible, but few learned to write because there was no reason for a woman to write, writing was a prerogative for men. Women were told and taught to be subservient to their father until they married and then to their husbands. One law forbids the wearing of lace, another of "slashed" clothes other than one slash in each sleeve and another in the back, even the length and width of a woman's sleeve was decided by law. A man could not kiss his wife in public. A young man could not court a maid without the consent of her father. (Williams)

Because of the unusual size of the outbreak of witchcraft accusations, various aspects of the historical context of this episode have been considered as specific contributing factors. Salem Village was known for its many internal disputes between neighbors. Arguments about property lines and grazing rights were heated, and the population was seen as "quarrelsome" by its neighbors. In 1672, the village had become a parish separate from Salem Town, but the church quickly became a new focus of discontent. Their first two ministers, the Reverend James Bayley and the Reverend George Burroughs, had both left the parish after much acrimony, particularly about the congregation's refusal to pay them. Despite the ministers' rights being upheld by the General Court and the parish admonished, they had each chosen to leave. The third minister, Deodat Lawson had not stayed, either, though apparently with less open conflict. There was disagreement about the choice of Samuel Parris as their next ordained minister, with only about half the parish in agreement to support him and to meet his many demands (including that he be granted the deed to the parsonage and its grounds). Ultimately, late in 1689, Parris agreed to accept terms of only ₤66 and the right of use only of the parsonage.(www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm)  He was refused even "the minister's wood spell" and was forced to find his own firewood. Feeling against him remained higher than was usual for a Colonial minister, partly because he had kept the congregation waiting for nearly a year before accepting his position in Salem Village. Though the prior ministers' fates and the near blood-feud level of contention in the village were valid reasons for caution in accepting the position, the Reverend Parris only increased the village's animosity towards himself by delaying. Neither had he any gift for settling his new parishioners' disputes; instead, by deliberately seeking out "iniquitous behavior" in his congregation and making church members in good standing suffer public penance for small infractions, he made a significant contribution toward the tension within the village, and the bickering in the village continued to grow unabated. In this atmosphere, serious conflict may have been inevitable.

            The patriarchal beliefs that Puritans held in the community added stresses. They believed women should be subservient to men, and that women were more likely to enlist in the Devil's service because women were lustful by nature. The "small-town atmosphere" made secrets difficult to keep, and people's opinions about their neighbors were generally accepted as fact. In an age where the philosophy "children should be seen and not heard" was taken at face value, children were at the bottom of the social ladder. Toys and games were seen as idle and playing was discouraged. Girls had additional restrictions placed upon them and were trained from a young age to spin yarn, cook, sew, weave, serve their husbands and bear their children. In accordance with Puritan beliefs, most accused "witches" were unmarried or recently widowed land-owning women; according to the law if no legal heir existed upon the owner's death, title to the land reverted to the previous owner, or (if no previous owner could be determined) to the colony. This made witch-hunting a possible method of acquiring a profitable piece of property.(Williams)

Salem Witch Trials

Witchcraft or Mental Illness