facts about the salem witch trials facts about the salem witch trials

14 (in the history 201 course-pack compiled by S. McSheffrey & T. McCormick), Trans. They hanged the poor souls instead. and good job rebbeca! As the years went by, the colonists felt ashamed and remorseful for what had happened during the Salem Witch Trials. Im using this for my History project. In additionone man was pressed to death; several others died in prison, and the lives of many were irrevocably changed. While Puritanism in New England demanded rigidly defined behaviour (hymns were the only permissible music, while childrens toys were outlawed), the colonys geographical isolation increased the insularity of these communities. All rights reserved, National Geographic book Witches! The primary sources of the Salem Witch Trials offer a wealth of information on these infamous trials. The hysterical behaviour was an unconscious outlet for rebellion, a release valve for the pressure that the threat of eternal damnation put them under. Do you have a version number for this site? For years, Salem Village tried to separate itself politically from Salem Town. And if you take away my life, God will give you blood to drink.. Now that spectral evidence was not allowed, most of the remaining prisoners were found not guilty or released due to a lack of real evidence. Do not lay more stress on pure spectral evidence than it will bear, he cautioned. Very well done! You never know what you will find when you start researching your family tree! Letters of Governor Phips to the Home Government, 16921693, "Woman condemned in Salem witch trials on verge of pardon 328 years later", "Indictment of Sarah Good for Afflicting Sarah Vibber", "Indictment of Abigail Hobbs for Covenanting", "The Devil's Specter: Spectral Evidence and the Salem Witchcraft Crisis", Narratives of the Witchcraft Trials, p. 342, "Role of skin lesions in the Salem witchcraft trials", "329 years later, last Salem 'witch' who wasn't is pardoned", Cornell University Library Witchcraft Collection, Salem Massachusetts Salem Witch Trials The Stones: July 10 and July 19, 1692, Salem Village Witchcraft Victims' Memorial, etext.virginia.edu, Chapter 122 of the Acts of 2001, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Actual Site Of Salem Witch Hangings Discovered", "The Real Salem Witch Hanging Site Was Located", Salem Witchcraft Trials: The Perception Of Women In History, Literature And Culture, Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project, SalemWitchTrials.com Essays, biographies of the accused and afflicted, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Salem_witch_trials&oldid=1142737002. I thought witchcraft only existed in Africa. As the weeks passed, other young girls claimed to have been infected by witchcraft too. . The courthouse was torn down in 1760 but a plaque dedicated to the courthouse can still be seen today on the wall of the Masonic Temple on Washington Street. Learn Religions, Sep. 9, 2021, learnreligions.com/facts-about-the-salem-trials-2562897. More than 200 people were a.. Read the article free on Booksie. Bridget Bishop was convicted at the end of her trial and sentenced to death. Native Americans and other religions represented threats by the Devil. Most of the accusers were Puritans who lived on the farms. Many people lived in a constant state of fear, tension, and paranoia. Even poor animals were not safe and they could actually get accused and executed as well. The Examination of Sarah Good, March 1, 1692. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Alden was accused of witchcraft by a child during a trip to Salem while he was on his way home to Boston from Canada. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Why do you think there are so little primary sources on the Salem Witch Trials? I love this site! The Salem Witch Trials. The girls accusation was that Good had performed witchcraft on them. Wow. While Salem has, in the English-speaking world at least, become the byword for witch-hunts, a very similar episode occurred in Lancashire in 1612, some 80 years before the panic in New England the case of the Pendle Hill witches. Also I was curious to know what the specific compromise was. Rebecca is a freelance journalist and history lover who got her start in journalism working for small-town newspapers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire after she graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. Nige Tassell explains how hysteria in the village of Salem, Massachusets, gave rise to a horror that bedazzled the world. Unauthorized use is prohibited. According to the official Salem website, the trials were shorter than most people believe, but they were still deadly. We've rounded up some interesting facts about Salem so you can enjoy it from home this season. Hi Indigo, Im assuming you mean eyewitness accounts. They were said to have helped witches and were referred to as their familiars. All Top Ten Lists History and Events Top 10 Dark Truths About the Salem Witch Trials We have all had to acknowledge the Salem Witch Trials, at one poimt or another, in this place called USA.To put it simply, the Salem Witch Trials were essentially the American equivalent to the Dark Ages, although the United States was not yet a proper sovreign nation, at the time. Between 1647 and 1688, 12 women had been sentenced to death for making covenants with the devil. It was viewed as a sin against God, the church, and the Crown, and thus was treated as a crime. The witchcraft hysteria in Salem first began in January of 1692 when a group of young girls, who later came to be known as the afflicted girls, fell ill after playing a fortune-telling game and began behaving strangely. In February, Samuel Parris called for a doctor, who is believed to be Dr. William Griggs, to examine the girls. The number of accusations and arrests began to decline in June but still continued and soon the local jails held more than 200 accused witches. Related: The 10 Best Witch Things To Do In Salem. In Salem for example, the first significant victim of the witch trials was Tituba, a slave from the Caribbean. Its a common myth that the Salem Witch Trials victims were burned at the stake. They accused other townspeople of torturing them, and a few of the so-called witches on trial even named others as witches. Salem Witch Trials Mass hysteria, social ignorance, and religious intolerance all describe the chaos that took place in Massachusetts during the year 1692. Morrisiana, 1869Jackson, Shirley. Second, everyone got their food from the same place, so symptoms would have occurred in every household, not just a select few. Note: it is expensive. One freezing day in January of 1692, something strange happened inside the Parris household of Salem Village, Massachusetts. Massachusetts was like the early state of Israel. No ones really sure why the witch craze spread the way it did, but it brought lasting changes to the United States legal system and the way evidence and witnesses were treated. The witch trials were held in Salem, Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693. Rebecca Beatrice Brooks is the author and publisher of the History of Massachusetts Blog. Her apology states: I desire to be humbled before God for that sad and humbling providence that befell my fathers family in the year about 92; that I, then being in my childhood, should, by such a providence of God, be made an instrument for the accusing of several persons of a grievous crime, whereby their lives were taken away from them, whom now I have just grounds and good reason to believe they were innocent persons; and that it was a great delusion of Satan that deceived me in that sad time, whereby I justly fear I have been instrumental, with others, though ignorantly and unwittingly, to bring upon myself and this land the guilt of innocent blood; though what was said or done by me against any person I can truly and uprightly say, before God and man, I did it not out of any anger, malice, or ill-will to any person, for I had no such thing against one of them; but what I did was ignorantly, being deluded by Satan. I am totally shocked to be related in this way. In mid-September, Corey was tortured this way for three days in a field near Howard Street until he finally died on September 19. I sincerely cant thank you enough! Boston, MA. First, there are a number of ergot poisoning symptoms which were not reported by those who claimed to be afflicted by witchcraft. The devil had won. Proctor told them about the torture inflicted on the accused and asked that the trials be moved to Boston where he felt he would get a fair trial. The exact cause of the Salem Witch Trials is unknown but they were probably a number of causes. She was hanged on June 10, 1692 at a place now called Proctors Ledge, which is a small hill near Gallows Hill, making her the first official victim of the witch trials. The bill cleared the names of: George Burroughs, John Proctor, George Jacobs, John Willard, Giles Corey, Martha Corey, Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Mary Easty, Sarah Wildes, Abigail Hobbs, Samuel Wardwell, Mary Parker, Martha Carrier, Abigail Faulkner, Anne Foster, Rebecca Eames, Mary Post, Mary Lacey, Mary Bradbury and Dorcas Hoar. Bridget Bishop - The First to Die in Salem Witch Trials, 8 Famous Witches From Mythology and Folklore, Salem, Massachusetts, and the famous trial in 1692, witchcraft was not seen as a religion at all. The puritans, who had left England due to religious persecution, feared their religion was under attack again and worried they were losing control of their colony. By the way, thank you so much for this wonderful website; its really thorough and cool. Wigington, Patti. Get ready to pull out your history books as we bring you the most DISTURBING facts about the Salem Witch Trials. I have countless ancestors out of Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of my grandmothers was Martha Carrier. The mayhem all started in 1692, when two cousins aged nine and 11 began experiencing delusions, strange fits, and other mysterious maladies. It was divided into two distinct and very different socioeconomic parts. "Examination and Evidence of Some Accused Witches in Salem, 1692. At the same time, the accused would be denied legal representation. Children were also accused of witchcraft. After my greaty great uncle Israel Porter formed political group to gather support against putnums, putnums responded by accusing supporters n friends of Porter Family of witchcraft (esp their daughters). How twisted is that? Luckily ann putnum jr lived to apologize. (2021, September 9). Giles Corey, the husband of Martha Corey, refused to enter a plea and was subjected to a particularly gruesome form of torture where the accused is crushed under heavy stones until they either respond or die a tactic known as peine forte et dure, (until he either answered or died). The fact is, no accused witches were burned at the stake in Salem, Massachusetts. Proctors entire family was accused, including all of his children, his pregnant wife Elizabeth, and sister-in-law. Cant wait to visit this place! Get FREE access to HistoryExtra.com. The other two accused women, Sarah Good and Sarah Osbourne, werent well liked by the community either. In 1957, the state of Massachusetts officially apologized for the Salem Witch Trials and cleared the name ofsome of the remaining victims not listed in the 1711 law, stating: One Ann Pudeator and certain other persons yet did not list the other victims names. Often, in movies and television and books, the accusers in the Salem trials are portrayed as angsty teenage girls, but thats not completely true. Im doing the Salem witch trials for my A-Level coursework, does anyone know the full names of any historians that have spoken about this topic? Presided over by Chief Justice William Stoughton, the court was made up of magistrates and jurors. Court of Oyer and Terminer Judges:Jonathan CorwinBartholomew GedneyJohn HathorneJohn RichardsWilliam Stoughton, Chief MagistrateSamuel SewallNathaniel SaltonstallPeter SergeantWaitstill Winthrop, The number of people accused and arrested in May surged to over 30 people:Sarah DustinAnn SearsArthur AbbottBethiah Carter SrBethiah Carter JrMary WitheridgeGeorge Jacobs SrMargaret JacobsRebecca JacobsJohn WillardAlice ParkerAnn PudeatorAbigail SoamesSarah BuckelyElizabeth ColsonElizabeth HartThomas Farrar SrRoger ToothakerMary ToothakerMargaret ToothakerSarah ProctorMary DeRichSarah BassettSusannah RootsElizabeth CarySarah PeaseMartha CarrierElizabeth FosdickWilmot ReddElizabeth HoweSarah RiceJohn Alden JrWilliam ProctorJohn Flood. One of the most popular theories as to what could have caused the mass hysteria of Salem is that of ergot poisoning, but recent scholars have questioned this idea. The trials only lasted three months, but they managed to leave a perpetual dark mark on the town's history. Massachusetts Only Apologized in 1957 Salem Witch Trials have haunted Salem, now known as Danvers and the entire state of Massachusetts for centuries. Can u imagine how her family must have felt after satan used them to kill all those people who had family members who had disagreed with them? These spirits could inhabit any human or any creature. Being burned at the stake was an occasionally used method of execution in Europe, when one was convicted of witchcraft, but was generally reserved for those who refused to repent of their sins. Patti Wigington is a pagan author, educator, and licensed clergy. A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Institute, 23 Oct. 2007, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/. Warrants were issued by the dozen, sometimes for the arrest of the most unlikely suspects. A child pointed to a dog and said it bewitched me and shot the dog immediately. Although she wasnt released, most people were confident she would be found not guilty and released. This site is not a part of the Smithsonian website. A Reply. The Salem witch trials, which resulted in several deaths in 1692 in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts, have never been adequately explained. No one in America has ever been put to death this way. Three Salem Women: The Stories of Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator and Bridget Bishop, Salem Witch Trials Weekly, produced by the Salem Witch Museum, Bewitchment in Salem, produced by the Salem Witch Museum in conjunction with SATV, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siegeby Marilynne K. Roach (Jul 22, 2004), Cry Innocent: The People vs. Bridget Bishop, The Salem Witch Trials: Reckoning and Reclaiming at the Peabody Essex Museum. Many of the accusers were adults and more than a few of them were people who had themselves been accused. By pointing the finger at others, they were able to shift the blame and spare their own lives. With a 1562 act now permitting the death penalty for acts of witchcraft, they were hanged. Here are some of our favorite Salem attractions: Salem Witch Museum Your first stop should be the Salem Witch Museum. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. The initial article took me a few days to write and then I have been slowly adding to it and expanding it over the years. This article was last updated on Nov 22, 2015. Maybe it's the influence of pop culture or maybe it's because it's theatrical, but a lot of people assume that witches were burned at the stake. In Germany alone, thousands of women died horrible deaths. As in complaints upon witchcrafts, there may be matters of inquiry which do not amount unto matters of presumption, and there may be matters of presumption which yet may not be matters of conviction, so it is necessary, that all proceedings thereabout be managed with an exceeding tenderness towards those that may be complained of, especially if they have been persons formerly of an unblemished reputation. The doctor was unable to find anything physically wrong with them and suggested they may be bewitched. Thank you so much for this! The Catholic and Protestant churches fought for new followers. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. One of the most popular theories as to what could have caused the mass hysteria of Salem in 1692 is that of ergot poisoning. It seems like an easier thing to do than just sit there and be accused. Legal Legacy of the Salem Witch Trials. Many modern theories suggest the girls were suffering from epilepsy, boredom, child abuse, mental illness or even a disease brought on by eating rye infected with fungus. Finally, many of the symptoms described by witnesses stopped and began again based on external circumstances, and that simply doesnt happen with physiological illness. it was extremely helpful thank you so much! Kinda sad after reading everything. Church was all powerful in those days. Montague Summer. As years passed, apologies were offered and restitution was made to the victims families. Although many of the other accused women were unpopular social outcasts, Nurse was a pious, well-respected and well-loved member of the community. OMG! Just as true today as it was a few centuries ago, fearmongering really accelerated the accusations. There wasnt really any one document or agreement that ended the trials. Salem Witch Trials: The Hysteria Spreads Salem Witch Trials: Conclusion and Legacy The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem. ", What does that mean, in laymans terms? If these individuals had never written these books or helped record the proceedings, we wouldnt know half of what we know about the witch trials. The jail was a small wooden structure with a dungeon underneath. What gave witches away were body marks, such as scars and moles. People wanted to protect themselves, so they ratted out their own friends, neighbors or anyone they didn't like. Preston, VK. When James II, unspeakably Catholic, became the titular head of the Church of England (itself considered evil), it was proof that the mother country had come under diabolical control When James II created the Dominion of New England, ordering the New England theocracy to allow the C of E inside, it was the end of their holy mission in the wilderness. The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology. On October 29, 1692, Phips dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer, a decision that marked the beginning of the end for the Salem witch trials. A Break With Charity: A Story About the Salem Witch Trials by Ann Rinaldi. Thats where spectral evidence comes in, and it played a significant role in the Salem trials. Women were not the only ones believed to be witchesmen and children were accused too. As a devout and strongly religious community living in near isolation in the mysterious New World, the community of Salem had a heightened sense of fear of the Devil and, as a result, it didnt take much to convince the villagers that there was evil among them. Sources:Upham, Charles W. Salem Witchcraft: With an Account of Salem Village and a History of Opinions on Witchcraft. The Salem Witch Trials officially began in February of 1692, when the afflicted girls accused the first three victims, Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne, of witchcraft and ended in May of 1693, when the remaining victims were released from jail. Robbins, Rossell Hope. Hemmed in by the ocean to the east and by an untamed wilderness to the west, settlers were completely disconnected from both the mother country on the other side of the Atlantic and the remainder of the American continent. The other two accused and arrested at the same time were Sarah Osborne and Tituba, the Parriss black slave. History of the Salem Witch Trials. History of Massachusetts Blog, 18 Aug. 2011, historyofmassachusetts.org/the-salem-witch-trials. Proctors wife managed to escape execution because she was pregnant, but Proctor was hanged on August 19 along with five other people. Or maybe it was the 1711 bill that cleared the names of the accused witches. A witness testifies against an accused witch during one of the many witchcraft trials of the 1690s. More than 200 people were accused. I mean the whole cause was a wheat bacteria/fungi called ergot. I also have an ancestor, Mary Parsons, who was accused of witchcraft but she was allowed to live. The link can be found in the section of this article titled Salem Witch Trial Victims. The Puritan way of life was strict, and even small differences in behavior made people suspicious. His grandfather is a Putnam. Another five were executed exactly a month later on 19 August, four of whom were men. As the trials and executions continued, colonists began to doubt that so many people could actually be guilty of this crime. Bridget was accused by five of the afflicted girls, Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam Jr., Mercy Lewis, Mary Walcott and Elizabeth Hubbard, who stated she had physically hurt them and tried to make them sign a pact with the devil. When visiting Salem, there are so many entertaining shows that were inspired by the real-life tragedies that took place in this spooky town. In November of 1991, Salem town officials announced plans for a Salem Witch Trials Memorial in Salem. Thank you so much, this was also, by far, the best site ive come across for salem trials. Other factors included a recent small pox epidemic in the colony, growing rivalries between families within the colony, a constant threat of attack from nearby Native-American tribes, and a recent influx of refugees trying to escape King Williams war with France in Canada and New York. The new court was presided over by William Stoughton, Thomas Danforth, John Richards, Waitstill Winthrop and Samuel Sewall. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/facts-about-the-salem-trials-2562897. I really enjoy reading your blog! The heat was stifling on a July day in 1692, as five dishevelled and bound women are paraded on a wooden cart through the streets of Salem village in the colony of Massachusetts Bay. You can check out my article on books about the Salem Witch Trials here:https://historyofmassachusetts.org/best-books-about-salem-witch-trials/ or you could search the court records online on the University of Virginia website. It means that even though supernatural evidence might seem sketchy to us in this day and age, for people like Cotton Mather and the rest of Salem, it was perfectly acceptable in cases of necessity. DHowlett1692, who blogs regularly about all things Salem, cites a 1977 article by Nicholas P. Spanos and Jack Gottlieb that disputes Caporaels ergotism study. (1977). This created a rift between the two groups in Salem Village. The day of prayer and fasting was held on January 15, 1698, and was known as the Day of Official Humiliation. Lets look at some important historical evidence that people often forget about the Salem witch trials. Since the witch trials ended, the colony also began to suffer many misfortunes such as droughts, crop failures, smallpox outbreaks and Native-American attacks and many began to wonder if God was punishing them for their mistake. Shortly after, two of the girls named the women they believed were bewitching them. 62, No. This is basically what got me an A on my history fair assignment, I appreciate all the time and effort put into writing this! 136, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA. The Salem Witch Trials began in spring 1692 and lasted for seven months, during which more than 150 people where arrested, 19 were hanged and one was tortured to death. When Salem Villages new pastor,Reverend Samuel Parris, came to town, he denounced the secular behavior of the innkeepers and blacksmiths and others. In Salem, they actually didn't do any burning at all. This really helped me on my essay, thank you so much. The torture consisted of laying the prisoner on the ground, naked, with a board placed on top of him. A. The Salem witch trials were a series of prosecutions in which over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft. In August of 1992, on the 300th anniversary of the trials, the Salem Witch Trials Memorial was unveiled and dedicated by Nobel Laureate Eli Wiesel. The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem. Even when the court ordered further executions, Phips wisely issued pardons to those convicted. Encyclopdia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them. Nobecause certainly there are some Christians who dobut theres no historical evidence that anyone was really working any kind of magic in Salem. In 1813, the wooden structure of the jail was remodeled into a Victorian home and in 1956 the home was razed. Witch hunts Thank for the site it is so helpful for my project! Do you know if their are any reports from some of the people in the villiage? It was last updated Sept 4, 2016. since we stared this topic in my 11th grade ap english class i have been very intregted. The Witchcraft of Salem Village. While many modern-day Pagans cite the Salem trials as an example of religious intolerance, at the time, witchcraft was not seen as a religion at all. These three women were social outcasts and easy targets for the accusation of witchcraft. Im trying to get my family to visit there- Id even give up my beach trip for it! If you are looking for more info on the victims themselves, you can check out the article I wrote specifically about them titled The Salem Witch Trials Victims: Who Were They? Salem witch trials. Is this a homework question? Thanks! One major factor was that in 1684, King Charles II revoked the Massachusetts Bay Colonys royal charter, a legal document granting the colonists permission to colonize the area. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom were executed by hanging (14 women and five men). The trials are believed to have been the reason why the US constitution recognizes witchcraft as a legal religion. Found Guilty and Executed:Bridget Bishop (June 10, 1692)Sarah Good (July 19, 1692)Elizabeth Howe (July 19, 1692)Susannah Martin (July 19, 1692)Rebecca Nurse (July 19, 1692)Sarah Wildes (July 19, 1692)George Burroughs (August 19, 1692)Martha Carrier (August 19, 1692)John Willard (August 19, 1692)George Jacobs, Sr (August 19, 1692)John Proctor (August 19, 1692)Alice Parker (September 22, 1692)Mary Parker (September 22, 1692)Ann Pudeator (September 22, 1692)Wilmot Redd (September 22, 1692)Margaret Scott (September 22, 1692)Samuel Wardwell (September 22, 1692)Martha Corey (September 22, 1692)Mary Easty (September 22, 1692), Refused to enter a plea and tortured to death:Giles Corey (September 19th, 1692), Found Guilty and Pardoned:Elizabeth ProctorAbigail Faulkner SrMary PostSarah WardwellElizabeth Johnson JrDorcas Hoar, Pled Guilty and Pardoned:Rebecca EamesAbigail HobbsMary Lacy SrMary Osgood, Died in Prison:Sarah OsburnRoger ToothakerAnn FosterLydia Dustin, Escaped from Prison:John Alden Jr.Edward Bishop Jr.Sarah BishopMary BradburyWilliam Barker Sr.Andrew CarrierKatherine CaryPhillip EnglishMary EnglishEdward Farrington, Never Indicted:Sarah BassettMary BlackBethiah Carter, JrBethiah Carter, SrSarah CloyceElizabeth HartWilliam HobbsThomas Farrer, SrWilliam ProctorSarah ProctorSusannah RootsAnn SearsTituba, Evaded Arrest:George Jacobs JrDaniel Andrews.