In 1692, an epidemic began in Salem Village, a small community in colonial Massachusetts, which quickly spread to Ipswich, Andover and Salem Town. Just about every resident in these small towns were infected and the epidemic threatened to spread to Charlestown and even Boston. The infection wasn’t spread by a bacteria like anthrax or by a virus like the swine flu. There were no intermediate hosts like cattle and no insect vectors like ticks. It spread from human to human. It was so infectious, so virulent and so potent that virtually every inhabitant of these towns were infected and it had lasting effects for three centuries. The cause of this epidemic wasn’t a micro-organism, although it was just as invidious and just as dangerous. The agent was a psychiatric disorder - mass hysteria.
The conditions that spawned this epidemic weren’t the usual ones like unhygienic practices, or overcrowding. They were much more toxic, political power and greed in the context of a hostile economy and a fearful populace. The politics involved religious ideologies; in the 17th century mixing politics and religion was commonplace. Massachusetts was essentially a theocracy outside of the authority of the Church of England. The Puritans believed in the existence of an invisible world inhabited by God, angels, Satan and demons. This invisible world was as real to them as was the material one. The Puritan Church ruled in all civil matters, including those of administering capital punishment for violations of a spiritual nature.
As a result of climate changes and blights, farms could barely support the large families of Puritans. This fueled disputes over land between neighbors and within families. The theocracy and a growing religious fervor added to tensions. It was convenient to attribute loss of crops, livestock, children and even bad weather to either divine providence or the Devil’s work. So, the Reverend Samuel Parris, who was in the midst of a property dispute with two neighbors, the Goods and the Osbornes, decided to take these disputes to the next level. His two daughters and his two nieces accused an indentured servant of Sarah Osborne, Tituba, of being a witch. Get these two families out of the way and their properties were his.
Because the majority of people really believed that the work of Satan was always around them, what followed was the perfect storm for an epidemic of mass hysteria. Witches were popping up behind every stone. Sometimes, there were economic motives behind the accusation, but, for the majority of people on the periphery of these disputes, they believed what they were being fed. Those, who didn’t, lived in fear that they too might be accused. It was just best to keep silent.
The rest is history. Over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned with even more accused. At least five died in prison. On May 16, 1692, a new Governor of Massachusetts was sworn in. One of the first orders of business was the commission of a special court called a Court of Oyer and Terminer to handle the increasing numbers of people who were languishing the jails. William Stoughton, the new Lieutenant Governor, was Chief Magistrate, At the end of June, grand juries brought indictments against Sarah Good and seven other accused witches. Indictments continued though September. To be arrested as a witch just took an accuser who suffered a loss; any loss would do.
The magistrates judged the cases solely by evidence. There were several types of evidence: spectral evidence or having a dream about one of the accused, confessions, identification as a witch by a confessed witch, the discovery of books of palmistry and horoscopes, or pots of ointments in the home of the accused, and, of course, the ever so objective witches cake, which was a concoction of rye and the urine from one of the enchanted girls which was fed to a dog. If the dog barked and the girl cried out, you were a witch. Witches teats, though, were the best evidence, in fact, they were prima fascia. They were nothing more than blemishes or moles that were insensitive to touch.
To the spectators and witnesses at these trials, witches teats weren’t just imperfections that they themselves may also have; they actually saw these as separate organs for the suckling of demons that only a witch would have. These dreams weren’t just dreams, but were apparitions. The books and pots and ointments were instruments of sorcery when found in the home of an accused but were just books and pots and ointments when found in theirs. They believed these these things as fervently as you believed that you were a good and decent person. Such was the nature of mass hysteria. As for for those who had more commonsense, they kept quite lest they too will be dragged in chains before the Court of Oyer and Terminer.
The stereotypes of hideous hags and “firebrands of Hell" were promoted by Salem ministers, court officials and even newspapers of the time for the consumption of all those who were spectators to these events. By the end, twenty-nine people were convicted of the capital felony of witchcraft. Nineteen were hanged. One was crushed to death.
This all came to an end in 1695 when Thomas Maule, a Quaker not a Puritan, publicly criticized the handling of the trials by Puritan leaders in his book Truth Held Forth and Maintained. For publishing this book, Maule was imprisoned for twelve months before found not guilty. On December 17, 1696, the General Court of Massachusetts ruled that there would be a fast day on January 14, 1697, "referring to the late Tragedy, raised among us by Satan and his Instruments." On that day, Rev. Samuel Willard read aloud an apology to the congregation of Boston's South Church, "to take the Blame & Shame" of the "late Commission of Oyer & Terminer at Salem."
These were the psychiatric consequences of false accusations by those in power. Whether it was their design, or the strategies of those who supported them, or the establishment press of the time or all three, we will never know. But this we do know: when you get enough people on board by convincing them that the differences between those in power and those who have a different ideology are not just legitimate differences of opinion from the loyal opposition but are motivated by something sinister and evil, then lapses in legislative procedures and even due process, and governmental intrusion on individual liberties are completely possible.
These things don’t happen by accident; it takes very cunning people to understand how singling out a group by ostracizing them could bring others in line. It is a dangerous political strategy in the United States to demonize others for the sake power. Nevertheless, it is happening. All one need do to see this unfolding is to tell the same story of Salem but instead of using the word witch, substitute the word racist. To be accused is only to disagree with President Obama; any disagreement would do. In fact, like witches teats, disagreeing with President Obama was prima facia evidence of racism.
John McCain was called a racist; his supporters were called racists. President Bush and Dick Cheney were racists. All conservative commentators were racists. People who showed up at tea parties, town hall meeting and on the Mall in Washington DC were all racist. Joe Wilson was a racist. Representative Charles Rangel has even associated racism with opposition to ObamaCare. Now, if you oppose ObamaCare you must be a racist.When Attorney. General Eric Holder recently announced that he intends to appoint a special task force to investigate racism in America, this should conjure up images of a Special Court of Oyer and Terminer. As in Salem, the real evil resides in the accusers and, to use a witchcraft analogy, in their familiars, petty entertainers like Bill Maher and journalists like Maureen Dowd who overcome their lack of talent or readership by making baseless accusations just to gain a little attention. It matters not that they could destroy the reputations of innocent lives by doing so.
We have seen this all happen before but this time it will backfire. The conditions aren’t right; most of us don’t believe in witches. Too many of us are unafraid of the establishment media and fools like Bill Maher and Maureen Dowd and actually hold them in utter contempt because they are so contemptous of mainstream America. There are more of us than there are of them and we are speaking out by the hundreds of thousands. Most importantly, this is not an autocracy and we, like they, have the First Amendment to protect us also.
When this strategy collapses, as it inevitably will and as it is doing now, no apology will ever be sufficient to undo the harm they tried to bring about. In our great country there simply is no behavior more outrageous, no statement more contemptible and no crime more dastardly than those dealing with racial hatred. When the accusation of racisms is casually leveled at every Tom, Jane and Harry for no better reason than to cause mass hysteria and to keep opponents quiet, not only would it not work but it diminishes the impact of the word itself. If becomes nothing more than an euphemism for someone who disagrees with Obama. This may actually be the greatest harm these fools are doing to America.
Comments
End the Racism, remove Obama from office. He has proven to be the most racist president this country has ever seen.
Pres. Obama just called Kanye West a 'jackass' for his outburst at VMAs when Taylor Swift won. Now THAT'S presidential
sick of it and sick of explanations as well...
went to look for Barry's Birth Certificate
Democrats put politics ahead of policy
If what Carter is saying is true, then Obama really is a racist as many have believed.
This is about the best essay on racism I have ever read - good job - you are so correct
I agree with eva - it also describes in a very literary fashion propaganda theories used by the Nazis in Germany - have you ever heard of the Abileen Paradox?
Really a brilliant analogy between the Salem witch trials of the 1600's and the current time mindless accusations of racism that are so carelessly flung about like handfuls of confetti. People should not feel forced to defend themselves against the baseless charge of racism. It should be the accuser who is examined.
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