Today in Salem: The cruel judge John Hathorne rubs the thick paper between his thumb and forefinger. This is no accident. The man who has written it, with such a deliberate hand, is married to Hathorne’s sister. He’s also from the richest family in the Village, a position that the judge respects, and one that made for a good match for his sister.
Now the man has handed the document, a petition, to Hathorne, and asked for his consideration. 39 people have signed it, attesting to Rebecca Nurse’s good Christian character. She is 70 years old and frail, and has been in jail for more than a month. Now, at the behest of her worried husband, the judge’s brother-in-law has sent it to some of the more influential families.
“We have knowne her for many years and Acording to our observation her Life and conversation was Acording to her profession and we never had Any cause or grounds to suspect her of Any such thing as she is nowe Acused of.”
Most of the signatures are those of married couples, the men signing for themselves and for their wives. There are tavern owners, a prominent landowner, and the grandson of a governor. Most interesting are the signatures from Putnams and Porters, who are usually feuding and rarely agree on anything.
The judge floats the paper onto his desk and turns away. He’ll consider it.
LEARN MORE: Why couldn’t the women sign their own names? Was illiteracy common?
50 years before the Salem Witchcraft Trials, Massachusetts passed a law requiring that children be taught to read and write. In some ways, this literacy law was born of fear and resolution. Not long before that, the Mayflower had arrived, with half of its passengers dying within the first year. It took life-saving help from indigenous people, not to mention more immigrants, for the colony to take root and begin to grow.
For that to continue, the Puritans believed that its men needed to be able to read and understand the laws. And everyone, especially children, needed to be able to read the Bible. So the Puritan leaders mandated that all heads of households teach their dependents — apprentices and servants as well as their own children — to read English or pay a fine.
Many parents were half-hearted in their efforts, though, so another law was passed, requiring that towns with 50 or more families hire a schoolmaster. But many towns were reluctant, and for some, the fines were cheaper than the cost of a school. In Salem, the Town complied (it already had a fine school for boys heading into the ministry). But the agricultural Village didn’t.
Even if a school did exist, parents weren’t required to send their children. When they did, the kids that did go were typically free, white boys. Families couldn’t or wouldn’t spare the labor of slaves or indentured servants. And girls, who would never be leaders in the community or church, weren’t expected to need much education. They sometimes learned to read the Bible, but rarely to write.
In the existing documents from the Salem Witchcraft Trials, men often signed their names, and women usually made marks. This is why, as in the petition for Rebecca Nurse, the women’s ”signatures” are in their husbands’ handwriting.
