Cotton Mather was a very well known Puritan minister, he was admired in the public's eye and was a leader among the community. In 1689 Mather published his book Memorable Providences in which he describes a case of supposed witchcraft. Mather focused his book on the Goodwin family, where three of the children had begun acting strangely after a disagreement with Mary Glover, a local Irish washerwoman. After keeping the eldest of the children under direct study, Mather described the children's actions as demonic and under the influence of Mary Glover's witchcraft. The following description of the children's actions is extremely similar to the actions of the "afflicted girls" which started the witchcraft phenomenon in 1692.

"And that which yet more confirmed such Apprehension was, That for one good while, the children were tormented just in the same part of their bodies all at the same time together; and tho they saw and heard not one anothers complaints, tho likewise their pains and sprains were swift like Lightening, yet when (suppose) the Neck, or the Hand, or the Back of one was Rack't, so it was at that instant with t'other too."

The source shows the similarity between the Goodwin children and supposed afflicted which initially began the suspicion of witchcraft in the Salem Village.

Mather, Cotton. Memorable Providences. Boston: Richard Pierce, 1689.

Tituba, a slave of Salem's pastor Samuel Parris, was originally from a small town in southern Africa before being captured and sold into enslavement at the Barbados Island of the Caribbean. Tituba's culture believed strongly in folklore and African-American traditions that were not socially acceptable in the Puritan Society. Tituba took care of the pastor's children Thomas, Betty, Susahanna, and their cousin Abigail Williams. In the evenings, the children would gather around the fire where Tituba would tell stories of fortune telling, magic, and spirits of the Caribbean Islands. This was forbidden by the Puritans and the sense of danger drew in the crowd of the few girls called the "afflicted girls". The three main girls involved were Ann Putman, Betty Parris, and Abigail Williams.

This source portrays how Tituba's heritage, folklore, and traditions were unacceptable in the Puritan society. These differences separated her from the community and led to her being accused of being a witch.

The Puritan lifestyle was a key factor in how easily the witchcraft slander was accepted by society. Puritans lived a strict conservative lifestyle, any sin was deemed punishable by God. Their strong belief in God was accompanied by their strong belief in the Devil. They believed the Devil would focus on the weakest Christians and have them carry out his work, known as witchcraft, which was punishable by death. Puritans believed that God would reward them for good deeds and punish them for their sins. For example, if your home burned down you obviously were not living a life following in God's footsteps.

The first three people accused of witchcraft were Sarah Good, Sarah Osbourne, and Tituba. Sarah Good was homeless and was known to beg for food and shelter. Sarah Osbourne was an older woman with a low social status that had married an indentured slave and rarely attended church. Tituba was pastor Parris' slave who came from a different culture and was of a different ethnicity. These three women tended to be outcasts who had not led the lives that God had planned for them. If they had, God would have rewarded them and they would not have had a low social status.

I would hope this source would make the connection of how the Puritans interpretation of their religion and of the Bible had an effect on the outcome of the witch trials. Puritans were God fearing people and by having a scape goat for the recent events allowed them to not hold themselves personally responsible.

The Salem witchcraft papers were a series of collected documents of the trials, narratives of the witchcraft cases, as well as details on the Salem community. As trials progressed it became more evident that the evidence convicting citizens was extremely spectral and the number of suspected witches of Salem had gotten out of hand. This became an eye opener to the community as well as other surrounding communities. When looking through the complete court documents, discrepancies between accusers are extremely evident and this should have been obvious to the jurors.

Spectral evidence is when a testimony is given that is based on dreams or visions. Accusers would state that someone pinched, hit, or bit them and the accused would be found guilty even if they had been at a different place at that time.

The source represents a turning point in the Salem witch trials. When recollecting and reviewing the cases the absurdity gradually became apparent to the community. It also started conflicts over accepting spectral evidence into the court.

The Salem Witchcraft Papers: Verbatim transcripts of the legal documents of the Salem witchcraft outbreak of 1692. New York : Da Capo Press, 1977.

"It were better that ten suspected witches should escape than one innocent person should be condemned."

Increase Mather's Cases of Conscience played a key role in the ending of the witchcraft trials. The quote above represents an attitude that spread among the Puritan community. Increase Mather was a very influential member of the community and was well known for his many published works such as The Return of Several Ministers Consulted, which encouraged ending the use of spectral evidence in the courts, and Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits Personating Men, which defended the reputation of the judges and trials, but completely condemned the use of spectral evidence.

This source shows how Mather's publications gradually led to the end of Salem Witch Trials. Without allowing spectral evidence into the courts the accusers had no ability to prove someone's guilt. It also shows how Mather's idea of not condemning an innocent person spread among the community. It was better to free the guilty than it was to condemn the innocent.

Mather, Increase. Cases of conscience concerning evil spirits personating men; witchcrafts, infallible proofs of guilt in such as are accused with that crime. Boston: B. Harris, 1693.

In 1693 Cotton Mather wrote another manuscript titled The Wonders of the Invisible World. This manuscript defends the witch trials and his role in it. The quote "He has wanted his incarnate legions to persecute us, as the people of God have in the other hemispheres been persecuted: he has therefore drawn forth his more spiritual ones to make an attack upon us." comes from his manuscript. It shows how Mather believed he was sent on a mission by God to get rid of the Devil from the land. In his manuscript he also tries to defend his position in the witch trials by showing his lack of belief in spectral evidence. Although Mather wasn't a strong believer in spectral evidence he condemned many of the accused based solely on it. Mather spent the majority of his life trying to defend his views of witchcraft and distance himself from his involvement in the trials. He is still considered one of the major reasons why the Salem witchcraft trials occurred.

Later in 1700 Robert Calef wrote a manuscript titled More Wonders of the Invisible World. This manuscript was an exposition against the state clergy, Cotton Mather in particular, for its involvement in the Salem witch trials. Calef felt that their involvement and the extent the trials were drawn out to were absurd. This immediately upset Cotton Mather since it was a direct attack at him. Cotton Mather responded with another manuscript titled Some Few Remarks upon a Scandal but by the time it was published the confrontation was meaningless.

This source shows that the end of the Salem Witch Trials, still affected how literature was written. Although it was over many people still felt the need to explain their actions or even ask for forgiveness for their involvement.

Although it's unsure what initially began the Salem witch trials it is clearly evident that literature had a significant effect. The accusations, the arrests, the condemnation, and the abdication were all processes that were influenced by the strength of literature. Also, because the cases were of such high profile at the beginning of the time our country was being colonized, the events were able to impact and form ideas and opinions that writers would use for centuries. In the end it is unfortunate that a society can be so easily persuaded by the words of only a few people and have it lead to such tragedy.