The Examination of

Sarah Good

Salem Court Documents, 1692

Transcript of Trial•A Transcript is a written

record of information communicated orally such as a speech, interview, or legal testimony

First Hand Accounts•show her to be a victim of the

witchcraft hysteria of the era because she was different, and that fear of her divergence from the Puritan lifestyle led to her eventual demise.

Salem Witch Trials•can be considered a horrendous

period in American history•also viewed as the turning point

in what was considered acceptable in a contemporary society

Trials continued…

•reader is able to see the way in which such an accusation was treated and how society as a whole reacted to such a claim

Puritan Society•was a close knit one with religion

as the core keeping it together. •Whole congregations would go

to the New World together, following their minister wherever he led them.

The Accusation• Sarah was accused by a group of

adolescent girls of bewitching them to suffer symptoms of convulsive fits, hallucinations, loss of appetite, and temporary loss of hearing. This is the court record from Sarah’s hearing on March 1, 1692. Good was then jailed, tried in court, found guilty and hanged on July 19th.

Sarah Good• Sarah Good was a target of this

environment due to the fact that she was not conforming to the everyday life around her which led people to believe something was wrong with her followed by the accusations of performing witchcraft.

The Examination of Sarah Good• she states that she is "falsely accused";

the documentation shows the actual conversation that she has and it makes her appear more personable and seeing as how she is claiming innocence, more wrongfully charged as well.

• says "her God is the God that made heaven and earth"

Outcome?• Though it might appear that she has a

legitimate chance in this case, hers is only one voice against dozens of others accusing her

• This case is ten people making a case against one (Good is not considered a true Puritan), so the litigation will not be a fair one, especially in a society where a nonconformist equals an outcast.

Outlandish Claims• General allegations against Sarah

Good became so absurd that a person today wouldn't be able to believe that these testimonies were even allowed in court

• Everyday occurrences that happen around Salem need to be explained, and Sarah Good seems to be the perfect scapegoat.

Purpose of Trials

• The Salem Witchcraft trials serve as a memory of how family, religion, social status and suspicions can create horrible outcomes in a society which knows nothing else

Cenotaph of Sarah Good• The actual location of

her body is unknown. • It was likely cast off in

a ditch, not deserving of a Christian burial due to the witchcraft charge.

• This marker is on a bench in Burying Point Cemetery.

The Irony of the Trials • After 19 men and women were found

guilty and hanged for witchcraft, Puritan leaders began to doubt the accusers and their evidence.

• Over the next 20 years, most of the falsely accused were pardoned and awarded financial compensation.