# Salem Massachusetts 1692 government

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salem-massachusetts-1692-government/737848>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 18, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salem-massachusetts-1692-government/737848 "2015-11-18T00:40:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Wizard101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a9adbd/32.png) [@Wizard101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wizard101)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salem-massachusetts-1692-government/737848/1 "2015-11-18T00:40:52Z")

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What was the structure of the government of Salem Town, Massachusetts in 1692?

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salem-massachusetts-1692-government/737848/2 "2015-11-18T12:26:13Z")

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Massachusetts’ government was in turmoil at the time, because the original charter under which the colony was settled was declared void (“vacated”) eight years earlier. Then the Glorious Revolution in 1689 replaced the Catholic James II with William and Mary, which had the effect of throwing out the then-Royal Governor of the colony. The previous one came back, but had no legal authority for this, siunce no action naming a replacement was around. More than one writer about the witch hysteria has claimed that this uncertainty contributed to the mood.

I know it’s not what you asked, but it’s the first thing that sprang to mind when I read your question, and it’s certainly relevant.

I don’t know what the town government of Salem Town or Salem Village were. To tell the truth, although I’ve read several books on the trials, I don’t recall anyone describing the precise form of government, whether mayor or town council or what. But it certainly wasn;t a theocracy. The trials were carried out by secular courts of Oyer and Terminer.The judges were not religioous leaders. Desp[ite what some people think, Cotton Mather never had any authority over these, and was only tangentially involved (although he wrote quite a bit about them).

Wikipedia has a good quick overview.

> **[Salem witch trials](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials)**
>
> The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom were executed by hanging (14 women and five men). One other man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death after refusing to enter a plea, and at least five people died in jail.
> Arrests were made in numerous towns beyond Salem and Salem Village (known today as Danve...