Bad weather isn't the only reason why the witch hype began. Visit this site's About page to find out more about Rebecca. 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. Questions VII & XI. 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. 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. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom were executed by hanging (14 women and five men). Preston, VK. It also helped with my reading assignment. Those who were found guilty were pardoned by Governor Phips. William Ives and George W. Pease, 1857Session Laws. The 190th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2001/Chapter122The 1692 Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Museum, www.salemwitchmuseum.com/education/salem-witch-trialsBlumberg, Jess. After Nurses execution on July 19th, the residents of Salem started to seriously question the validity of the trials. This helped me a lot with an assignment i had to do for school, but i cant find the publisher sadly. Does anyone know who was the last one to be accused of witchcraft and died , all she did was healing and someone who she knew turned her in. Wrong. 1982)]. "Maleus Maleficarum Part I.". I find this to be very well put and want to read more. There are many theories that explain why the witch trials began in Medieval Europe. A week later, the jury changed their minds and declared Nurse guilty. Salem witch trial started as feud between Porters n putnums cuz putnums felt Porters gave too much freedom to their black servants. Since the accused witches were considered dangerous prisoners, they were kept in the dungeon and were chained to the walls because jail officials believed this would prevent their spirits from fleeing the jail and tormenting their victims. How did this conflict impact the trials? Sources:Upham, Charles W. Salem Witchcraft: With an Account of Salem Village and a History of Opinions on Witchcraft. Hi Indigo, Im assuming you mean eyewitness accounts. Ultimately, eight women and two men were tried and found guilty of attending the gathering. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. A witness testifies against an accused witch during one of the many witchcraft trials of the 1690s. Perhaps this question has something to do with the closure of the court of Oyer and Terminer, which was the special court established to hear the trials. Ancestry is the easiest way. His grandfather is a Putnam. Some of the suggested theories are: conversion disorder, epilepsy, ergot poisoning, Encephalitis, Lyme disease, unusually cold weather, factionalism, socio-economic hardships, family rivalries and fraud. As sleet and snow heaped higher outside their door, Betty Parris and. 135, p. 112, No. The trials only lasted three months, but they managed to leave a perpetual dark mark on the town's history. While women were of course on the forefront of persecution, men could also be accused of witchcraft. The two communities were three hours apart, by foot, which was the most common method of transportation at the time. 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. ", What does that mean, in laymans terms? The afflicted state of our poor neighbours, that are now suffering by molestations from the invisible world, we apprehend so deplorable, that we think their condition calls for the utmost help of all persons in their several capacities. Lienhard says, In recent years, though, the ergot theory has been questioned. It was divided into two distinct and very different socioeconomic parts. I last updated this article on March 26, 2016. As the years went by, the colonists felt ashamed and remorseful for what had happened during the Salem Witch Trials. Shortly after Sir William Phips appointment as Governor, he was forced to establish a court to deal with those who had been locked up in jail and were awaiting trial. Get FREE access to HistoryExtra.com. All rights reserved, National Geographic book Witches! Cant wait to visit this place! The bibliography at the bottom of this article list a number of secondary sources. Awesome Article. This helped with my English assignment! As for why these victims were targeted in the first place, historians have noted that many of the accused were wealthy and held different religious beliefs than their accusers. Then say they were wrong. Very well done! In addition to official court records there are also several books written by the ministers and other people involved in the trials: A Brief and True Narrative of Some Remarkable Passages Relating to Sundry Persons Afflicted by Witchcraft, at Salem Village: Which happened from the Nineteenth of March, to the Fifth of April, 1692 by Deodat Lawson circa 1692 The Wonders of the Invisible World: Being an Account of the Tryals of Several Witches Lately Executed in New-England by Cotton Mather circa 1692 More Wonders of the Invisible World by Robert Calef circa 1700 A Modest Enquiry Into the Nature of Witchcraft by John Hale circa 1702. During that time, 19 people were hanged and one person was pressed to death. Thank for the site it is so helpful for my project! Although the witch hunt started in Salem Village, it quickly spread to the neighboring towns, including Amesbury, Andover, Salisbury, Topsfield, Ipswich and Gloucester, and numerous residents of those towns were brought to Salem and put on trial. As a direct result, food became scarce and taxes higher. 6 The Role Of Religion In Witch Trials With a 1562 act now permitting the death penalty for acts of witchcraft, they were hanged. Susannah Martin was my 10th great grandmother and John Proctor was my 11th great uncle. I love this site! 5 Facts About the Salem Trials. A strong belief in the devil, factions amongSalem Village familiesand rivalry with nearby Salem Town combined with a recent small pox epidemic and the threat of attack by warring tribes created a fertile ground for fear and suspicion. But the particular brand of paranoia that was rife in Salem Village fed by a rivalry with neighbouring Salem Town, ongoing family feuds and attacks by Native Americans developed into mass hysteria. Did the Putnams purchase any of the land from those who were accused and killed? Did the Salem Witch Trials have any affect on the way that the American court systems were designed once the United States became a country? One other man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death after refusing to enter a plea, and at least five people . Nineteen were hanged, and oneelderly Giles Coreypressed to death. In February, Samuel Parris called for a doctor, who is believed to be Dr. William Griggs, to examine the girls. According to USLegal.com, Spectral evidence refers to a witness testimony that the accused person's spirit or spectral shape appeared to him/her witness in a dream at the time the accused person's physical body was at another location. I hope ill get the chance to read it some day! In April, more women were accused, as well as a number of men:Sarah CloyceElizabeth ProctorJohn ProctorGiles CoreyAbigail HobbsDeliverance HobbsWilliam HobbsMary WarrenBridget BishopSarah WildesNehemiah Abbott Jr.Mary EastyEdward BishopSarah BishopMary EnglishPhillip EnglishReverend George BurroughsLydia DustinSusannah MartinDorcas HoarSarah Morey. On September 22, eight people were hanged. i would like to know more about the salem witch trials. This site helped a lot for me to understand the history of Salem. Nor can we esteem alterations made in the sufferers, by a look or touch of the accused, to be an infallible evidence of guilt, but frequently liable to be abused by the Devil's legerdemains. What was this witchery actually about and how did it all start? To understand the events of theSalem Witch Trials, it is necessary to examine the times in which accusations of witchcraft occurred. The Salem witch trials marked a seven-month period of mass hysteria in 1692 Colonial America. This illustration shows him speaking at Witches Hill, the site of his execution. "5 Facts About the Salem 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. In mid-September, Corey was tortured this way for three days in a field near Howard Street until he finally died on September 19. At the same time, the accused would be denied legal representation. Bettys alarmed father, the Reverend Parris, immediately called on a doctor to examine the girls. Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. (1977). To identify witches, authorities used the "touching test", in which victims of witchcraft would become calm upon touching the culprit. Here are 10 facts about the witch trials that will surely send chills down your spine. English law at the time dictated that anyone who refused to enter a plea could be tortured in an attempt to force a plea out of them. 143159, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 02:44. Massachusetts was like the early state of Israel. Women were not the only ones believed to be witchesmen and children were accused too. Three days earlier, the death of another of the accused had occurred. 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. I sincerely cant thank you enough! This website uses cookies to improve your experience. It went all the way back to the Salem Witch trials. Another five were executed exactly a month later on 19 August, four of whom were men. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/facts-about-the-salem-trials-2562897. Getting the right to vote didn't come easy for women. Salem Witch Trials Memorial at Proctor's Ledge I also have an ancestor, Mary Parsons, who was accused of witchcraft but she was allowed to live. It was last edited on September 8, 2013 at 4:52 pm, Thank you, Rebecca, recently I have been down and this is a paper for a class Im failing, Thank you for helping me get an A, What is the publisher for this website? and good job rebbeca! In seventeenth-century New England, pretty much everyone was practicing some form of Christianity. Thank-you for the great info you have shared. And, of course, theres the theory that it was all down to good old fashioned spite. Although the afflicted girls were the main accusers during the trials, many historians believe the girls parents, particularly Thomas Putnam and Reverend Samuel Parris, were egging the girls on and encouraging them to accuse specific people in the community that they didnt like in an act of revenge. 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. Keeping to yourself and minding your own business seemed suspicious. Got the movie and became more interested in what really happened. In Salem, they actually didn't do any burning at all. One of them, George Burroughs, protested his innocence as the noose was readied. How Rye Bread May Have Caused the Salem Witch Trials, Order in the Court: 10 Trials of the Century, https://www.britannica.com/facts/Salem-witch-trials. During her trial, Bishop repeatedly defended herself, stating I am innocent, I know nothing of it, I have done no witchcraft . Hopkins crusade was at its most virulent between 1644 and 1646. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were killed during the hysteria. Corey still refused to offer a plea and paid with his life. In an insular society like Salem, where anyone straying from the norm was immediately criticised or condemned, accusations of witchcraft were a method of self-defence, of keeping the more undesirable elements of the local community at arms length, if not removing them completely. Mather saw the war against Satan as being just as important as the war against the French and the local Native American tribes. Spanos and Gottlieb argue. Massachusetts Archives Collection, vol. According to the official Salem website, the trials were shorter than most people believe, but they were still deadly. The leading independent voice for aviation news and insight. The clergy later held a meeting, on August 1, to discuss the trials but were not able to help Proctor before his execution. Of those arrested, the majority were women (85%) and only a handful were men (15%). Even Sarah Goods four-year-old daughter Dorothy was arrested and interrogated by the magistrates. The Salem Witch Trials were not a positive section of American history but have been used as a learning tool for the United States. Five more people were hanged in July, one of which was Rebecca Nurse. No one cared about minorities or "loners" anyway. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. No way to fight its power. You can unsubscribe at any time. How could so many people believe the afflicted girls without no real evidence. Salem witch trials. since we stared this topic in my 11th grade ap english class i have been very intregted. Salem was . https://www.learnreligions.com/facts-about-the-salem-trials-2562897 (accessed March 5, 2023). Heavy stones were loaded onto the board and the weight was gradually increased until the prison either entered a plea or died. For years, Salem Village tried to separate itself politically from Salem Town. It all began in 1692 and 1693 when Salem in the United States . Planting, cultivating, the care of houses, barns, roads, fences, were all forgotten. Good luck! The witch trials were held in Salem, Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693. The pair had been bewitched. Massachusetts State Archives. What gave witches away were body marks, such as scars and moles. That same month, four more women were accused and arrested:Rebecca NurseMartha CoreyDorothy GoodRachel Clinton (from Ipswich). Theres always a lot of discussion in the Pagan community about theso-called Burning Times, which is the term used to describe the witch hunts of early modern Europe. At the center of the Salem witch trials were a core group of accusers, all girls and young women ranging in age from nine to 20, who screamed, writhed, barked and displayed other horrifying. 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. 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. Of course, remembering the events of 1692 can still act as a brake when contemporary events take a sinister downturn. The best way to get people's attention is to start spreading sensational and fake news. Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. thanks, primary sources of the Salem Witch Trials, View all posts by Rebecca Beatrice Brooks, http://www.zazzle.com/salem_village_map_poster-228789587972988887?rf=238784808055391622, https://historyofmassachusetts.org/best-books-about-salem-witch-trials/. It was viewed as a sin against God, the church, and the Crown, and thus was treated as a crime. Kinda sad after reading everything. 10 Unsettling Facts About The Witch Trials, The Symptoms That Gave Witches Away Make No Sense At All, Women Could Save Themselves By Pointing A Finger (At Someone Innocent), Witch Trials In Germany Took Thousands Of Lives, It Wasn't Just Women Who Suffered Because Of The Trials, The Witch Tests Often Had No Way Of Getting Out Alive, As If They Didn't Suffer Enough, Social Outcasts Had It The Worst, Scary Stories: 10 Places For Stephen King Fans To Visit, 10 Scary Churches From Around The World That Will Creep You Out, Spooky Places: 10 Destinations For Fans Of Witches. By May 1693 . In additionone man was pressed to death; several others died in prison, and the lives of many were irrevocably changed. 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. Titubas confession was the trigger that sparked the mass hysteria and the hunt for more witches in Salem. The slave Tituba, because of her background in the Caribbean (or possibly the West Indies), could have practiced some form of folk magic, but that has never been confirmed. Nige Tassell explains how hysteria in the village of Salem, Massachusets, gave rise to a horror that bedazzled the world. He knew the clergy did not fully approve of the witch hunts. Afflicted Girls:Elizabeth BoothElizabeth HubbardMercy LewisBetty ParrisAnn Putnam, Jr.Susannah SheldonAbigail WilliamsMary WalcottMary Warren. Often, in movies and television and books, the accusers in the Salem trials are portrayed as angsty teenage girls, but thats not completely true. The Salem witch trials started with two girls having unexplainable fits. this helped a lot on my social studies project. After Bishops execution and the courts endorsement of the indictments against Rebecca Nurse and John Willard, a local constable who, doubting the allegations, refused to bring the accused to court the grand jury adjourned for almost three weeks. Yes, it is loosely based on the Salem Witch Trials. It is sad where the mind-set was back then. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Add in the numerous films and television series that reference Salem, and things get even more distorted. what is a secondary source in this salem witch trail! When she is not traveling, you will find her reading, drinking coffee and chatting away with her many international friends. The Catholic and Protestant churches fought for new followers. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Why do you think there are so little primary sources on the Salem Witch Trials? Within minutes theyre led, hoods drawn over their heads, towards a rudimentary set of gallows, and their imminent executions. No one was burned at the stake in the Salem witch trials. In short, Spanos and Gottlieb believe that the ergotism theory is off-base for several reasons. This was no more notable than when playwright Arthur Miller chose to dramatise the trials in his 1953 play The Crucible. Between 1647 and 1688, 12 women had been sentenced to death for making covenants with the devil. In 1688, New England revolted and deposed the government of the Dominion of New England, and sent a representative back to London to report it, only to find that Parliament had deposed James II, and replaced him with William and Mary. The indictments then came thick and fast. Porters never forgot about this n intermarried with many of the families afterwards. Thanks! It disgusts me but at the same time interests me, and makes me want to learn more. A total of 19 accused witches were hanged at Proctors Ledge, near Gallows Hill, during the witch trials. In January of 2016, the site where the Salem Witch Trials hangings took place was officially identified as Proctors Ledge, which is a small wooded area in between Proctor Street and Pope Street in Salem. Massachusetts Archives, Vol. Get 6 issues for 19.99 and receive a 10 gift card* PLUS free access to HistoryExtra.com, Save 70% on the shop price when you subscribe today - Get 13 issues for just $49.99 + FREE access to HistoryExtra.com. Im glad it was helpful. In early July, Sarah Good and her four co-accused were tried and found guilty of bewitchment, making that journey to the gallows on that wooden cart a few days later. 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? The torture consisted of laying the prisoner on the ground, naked, with a board placed on top of him. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Where did theses trials take place were there anymore places then Massachusetts Bay. Not that the prosecutions were concluded even then. The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between early 1692 and mid-1693. Having initially set up the Court of Oyer and Terminer, Governor William Phips having returned from fighting in King Philips War in Maine voiced concerns about what danger some of [his] innocent subjects might be exposed to and dissolved the court, in the process pardoning those remaining in custody. It also silenced any opposition to the idea that the Devil had infiltrated Salem. an A on my report i mean >< Local clergymen began speaking out against the witch hunt and tried to persuade officials to stop the trials. Salem Village was populated mostly by poor farmers, and Salem Town was a prosperous port full of middle-class and wealthy merchants. Hoffer, Peter Charles. I see that you told someone quite a while ago but I dont think that is up to date. 618619. 31. Ergot is a fungus found in bread, and has the same effect as hallucinogenic drugs. 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 mid-January 1692, Elizabeth "Betty" Parris, the 9-year-old daughter of the local Reverend Samuel Parris, and. Legal Legacy of the Salem Witch Trials. More than 200 people were a.. Read the article free on Booksie. Encyclopdia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them. The other two accused and arrested at the same time were Sarah Osborne and Tituba, the Parriss black slave. All rights reserved. Good had been among the first local women to be arrested, after several young girls from the village had experienced mysterious afflictions the previous February. Dr Griggs was a relative through my grandmother. The three women were thrown in jail to await trial for practicing witchcraft. A prolific pamphleteer railing against the spread of witchcraft (or molestations from the invisible world), Mather was nonetheless keen for due diligence to occur inside the courtroom. In Salem for example, the first significant victim of the witch trials was Tituba, a slave from the Caribbean. 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 court didnt believe them, and found all three women guilty of practicing witchcraft. Most of the accused really had nowhere else to go and many of them didnt have the money to leave even if they wanted to. Related: 10 Scary Churches From Around The World That Will Creep You Out. Related: The 10 Best Witch Things To Do In Salem. 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. Patti Wigington is a pagan author, educator, and licensed clergy. Here's how they got it done. Learn Religions. Device reportedly admitted an act of bewitchment, as well as accusing another woman of undertaking similar practices. Does that mean they couldnt have been practicing witchcraft? Lets look at some important historical evidence that people often forget about the Salem witch trials. How inhumane! I was wondering if there was a written document or agreement signed that ended the trials. 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. 62, No. Thank you for the kind comments. Knowing that if he was convicted his large estate would be confiscated and wouldnt be passed down to his children, Corey brought his trial to a halt by refusing to enter a plea.