The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a dark time in American history. Proctors wife managed to escape execution because she was pregnant, but Proctor was hanged on August 19 along with five other people. 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. Salem was . They feared many innocent people were being executed. I see that you told someone quite a while ago but I dont think that is up to date. According to the official Salem website, the trials were shorter than most people believe, but they were still deadly. Here are some of our favorite Salem attractions: Salem Witch Museum Your first stop should be the Salem Witch Museum. At the same time, the accused would be denied legal representation. I also have an ancestor, Mary Parsons, who was accused of witchcraft but she was allowed to live. an A on my report i mean >< Of those arrested, the majority were women (85%) and only a handful were men (15%). Robbins, Rossell Hope. In June of 1692, the special Court of Oyer (to hear) and Terminer (to decide) sat in Salem to hear the cases of witchcraft. There is no documentation of where she may have gone after the trials. 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. In 2017, on the 325th anniversary of the Salem Witch Trials, the newly built Proctors Ledge Memorial was unveiled at the base of the ledge on Pope Street. Upon hearing about the Parris girls behavior, much of the Puritan community agreed that the duo had been victims of witchcraft. 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. This legal tactic was known as peine forte et dure which means strong and harsh punishment.. Hi Maria, I dont have a version number for this site. Which brings us to. This site helped a lot for me to understand the history of Salem. Are there any other theories as to what may have caused the girls strange behavior? The link can be found in the section of this article titled Salem Witch Trial Victims. A man of God literally planned out a witch genocide. It went all the way back to the Salem Witch trials. The primary sources of the Salem Witch Trials offer a wealth of information on these infamous trials. Well, Sharis, the Salem Witch Trials are quite complicated and cant be accurately summed up in a short article. After Nurses execution on July 19th, the residents of Salem started to seriously question the validity of the trials. The Salem witch trials began because a group of girls claimed they were possessed by the devil. We judge that, in the prosecution of these and all such witchcrafts, there is need of a very critical and exquisite caution, lest by too much credulity for things received only upon the Devil's authority, there be a door opened for a long train of miserable consequences, and Satan get an advantage over us; for we should not be ignorant of his devices. On May 27, 1692, after weeks of informal hearings accompanied by imprisonments, Sir William Phips (also spelled Phipps), the governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, interceded and ordered the convening of an official Court of Oyer ("to hear") and Terminer ("to decide") in Salem Town. They were part of a long story of witch hunts that began in Europe in the 14th century. It all began in 1692 and 1693 when Salem in the United States . Not that the prosecutions were concluded even then. 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. Presumptions whereupon persons may be committed, and, much more, convictions whereupon persons may be condemned as guilty of witchcrafts, ought certainly to be more considerable than barely the accused person's being represented by a specter unto the afflicted; inasmuch as it is an undoubted and notorious thing, that a demon may, by God's permission, appear, even to ill purposes, in the shape of an innocent, yea, and a virtuous man. There are many theories that explain why the witch trials began in Medieval Europe. 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. Susannah Martin was my 10th great grandmother and John Proctor was my 11th great uncle. 135, no. What were the witch trials in Salem actually about and how did it all start? ", What does that mean, in laymans terms? in journalism. thanks, mike turner, The 1692 Salem Village map can now be purchased on zazzle: http://www.zazzle.com/salem_village_map_poster-228789587972988887?rf=238784808055391622. Glanvill, Joseph. my question for the project was what was the history of the salem witch trials. I find the history interesting and would like to find more information on this matter. Two days before the court convened, a Puritan minister from Boston named Cotton Mather wrote to one of the judges expressing his concern over the admissibility of such evidence. Just pay for a month and go nuts adding records to a tree. Daily chores, business matters and other activities were neglected during the chaos of the witch trials, causing many problems in the colony for years to come, according to the book The Witchcraft of Salem Village: The whole colony, moreover, had suffered. A flurry of accusations from girls with afflictions similar to those of Betty Parris and Abigail Williams resulted in an avalanche of arrests and prosecutions. TDR / The Drama Review, 2018, Vol. During that time, 19 people were hanged and one person was pressed to death. I need a bibliography for my class report. 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. His death was gruesome and cruel and strengthened the growing opposition to the Salem Witch Trials. Im trying to get my family to visit there- Id even give up my beach trip for it! Heres what I got if someone needed to use this for their biblyography. There were the ordinary stresses of 17th-century life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/facts-about-the-salem-trials-2562897. Good luck! One other man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death after refusing to enter a plea, and at least five people . Through the loss of 20 lives, the episode continues to warn of the dangers of insularity and isolationism, of intolerance, of religious extremism. The Salem witch trials began because a group of girls claimed they were possessed by the devil. During her trial, Bishop repeatedly defended herself, stating I am innocent, I know nothing of it, I have done no witchcraft . And insularity bred paranoia, as Schiff sharply explains. Its good to see that the court system has progressed. In Salem for example, the first significant victim of the witch trials was Tituba, a slave from the Caribbean. "Examination and Evidence of Some the Accused Witches in Salem, 1692. The Salem witch trials, which resulted in several deaths in 1692 in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts, have never been adequately explained. 1982)]. [State v. Dustin, 122 N.H. 544, 551 (N.H. 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. Hoffer, Peter Charles. I hope ill get the chance to read it some day! Salem Witch Trials of 1692 In January of 1692, the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris of Salem Village became ill. William Griggs, the village doctor, was called in when they failed to improve. Bettys alarmed father, the Reverend Parris, immediately called on a doctor to examine the girls. Boston, MA. Ergot is a fungus found in bread, and has the same effect as hallucinogenic drugs. Between 1692 and 1693, more than two hundred people were accused. Native Americans and other religions represented threats by the Devil. "5 Facts About the Salem Trials." To understand the events of theSalem Witch Trials, it is necessary to examine the times in which accusations of witchcraft occurred. He was later exonerated. 618619. Puritans walk through the snow-covered woods to get to church. I know that the accusers, at least some of them were aligned with the Putnam family who was known to have land disputes with several of the villagers. A total of 19 accused witches were hanged at Proctors Ledge, near Gallows Hill, during the witch trials. Salem witch trial started as feud between Porters n putnums cuz putnums felt Porters gave too much freedom to their black servants. Since some of the law enforcement involved in the Salem Witch Trials were being sued by some of the surviving victims, the bill also stated: no sheriff, constable, goaler or other officer shall be liable to any prosecution in the law for anything they then legally did in the execution of their respective offices.. A. 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). Montague Summer. By the end of the trials in 1693, 24 people had died, some in jail but most by hanging. 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. Fresh witchcraft cases continued to come before the new Superior Court of Judicature that, while again presided over by William Stoughton, was ordered not to accept spectral evidence. This is really great. As if the class and religious differences werent bad enough, Salem was in an area that was under regular attack from Native American tribes. These three women were social outcasts and easy targets for the accusation of witchcraft. Explore 17th-century Salem in the museum's 13 stage sets that bring the witch trials to life. 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. Hope that helps with your bibliography. I am no more a witch than you are a wizard. One freezing day in January of 1692, something strange happened inside the Parris household of Salem Village, Massachusetts. . Hi RebeccaI saw that you have a lot of knowledge about Mary EastyI was told this year at a funeral that I am a direct decendent of hersI live in Salem and My Grandfather was name William Esteydo you by any chance have any history of the family tree? According to Plouffe, Jr., the trials were the largest of . I could use this for classroom use. People wanted to protect themselves, so they ratted out their own friends, neighbors or anyone they didn't like. Is this a homework question? "5 Facts About the Salem Trials." Text adapted from the National Geographic book Witches! This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. https://www.learnreligions.com/facts-about-the-salem-trials-2562897 (accessed March 5, 2023). Then they even do a greater injustice by not only torturing folks in prison but hanging 19 of them and then putting rocks on a 71 year old man until he died because he would not state he was guilty or innocent (some old English law if accused refused to make a plea). Learn Religions. I thought witchcraft only existed in Africa. However, in the more than three centuries since then, the historical waters have gotten a bit muddied, and many modern Pagans find themselves sympathetic towards Salems accused. Often, in movies and television and books, the accusers in the Salem trials are portrayed as angsty teenage girls, but thats not completely true. Great post, this helped a lot with my Witch Trials report for history class! 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. Has their been any further studies into the ergot theory besides the collage student in the early 70s? Titubas confession was the trigger that sparked the mass hysteria and the hunt for more witches in Salem. For years, Salem Village tried to separate itself politically from Salem Town. The girls accusation was that Good had performed witchcraft on them. Lienhard says, In recent years, though, the ergot theory has been questioned. Its pretty hard to show any sort of concrete, tangible evidence that someone is in league with the Devil or fiddling around with spirits. Salem Witch Trials from William A. Crafts Did the people really believe in witches? On December 17, 1697, Governor Stoughton issued a proclamation in hopes of making amends with God. If people were to run away from it, theyll only be hunted down and thats worst then sitting in court. The other two accused women, Sarah Good and Sarah Osbourne, werent well liked by the community either. 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. Although I just found it, it has helped me with what I needed on my Salem Witch Trials report for History. Alden was accused of witchcraft by a child during a trip to Salem while he was on his way home to Boston from Canada. Does that mean they couldnt have been practicing witchcraft? The trials were held in the Salem courthouse, which was located in the center of Washington Street about 100 feet south of Lynde Street, opposite of where the Masonic Temple now stands. Many of the accusers were adults and more than a few of them were people who had themselves been accused. Let me know if you are related to story too. How did this conflict impact the trials? Check them out below. No one was burned at the stake in the Salem witch trials. This really helped me on my essay, thank you so much. What was this witchery actually about and how did it all start? 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. I need to do a bibliography, and I have this page on it. All rights reserved. Thank you for this amazing article! William was happily a Calvinist, but not even that changed the fact New England theocracy was at an end. I really enjoy reading your blog! Children were also accused of witchcraft. 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. 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. I am totally shocked to be related in this way. Here are 10 facts about the witch trials that will surely send chills down your spine. As the years went by, the colonists felt ashamed and remorseful for what had happened during the Salem Witch Trials. Here's what we know about the original witch hunt: 1. We know not whether some remarkable affronts given to the Devils by our disbelieving those testimonies whose whole force and strength is from them alone, may not put a period unto the progress of the dreadful calamity begun upon us, in the accusations of so many persons, whereof some, we hope, are yet clear from the great transgression laid unto their charge. Some say it's because temperatures dropped significantly, there was famine and people needed a scapegoat. A large proportion of the case against Bishop also focused on her lifestyle, especially her rumoured promiscuity and un-Puritan ways. For years, Salem Village tried to separate itself politically from Salem Town. Very interesting article; Im glad I came across it! 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. While the Salem of today is a thriving metropolitan area, in 1692 it was a remote settlement on the edge of the frontier. I need to make a bibliography for my English report. Ultimately, eight women and two men were tried and found guilty of attending the gathering. Massachusetts Only Apologized in 1957 Salem Witch Trials have haunted Salem, now known as Danvers and the entire state of Massachusetts for centuries. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, and the event still haunts us today. Indeed, as Stacy Schiff explains in The Witches, her history of the witch trials, It would have been difficult to find more than a few souls to whom the supernatural was not eminently real, part and parcel of the culture, as was the devil himself. As the trials and executions continued, colonists began to doubt that so many people could actually be guilty of this crime. Other diagnoses have focused more on the mental wellbeing of the Salem girls. 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. "Maleus Maleficarum Part I.". Despite its power as a cautionary tale, Salem remains an enigma that continues to fascinate and beguile more than three centuries later. (University of Kansas, 1997). Salem was ruled by English law at the time, which only allowed death by burning to be used against men who committed high treason and only after they had been hanged, quartered and drawn. A week later, the jury changed their minds and declared Nurse guilty. Samuel Parris of Salem Village. The devil had won. They basically played the trump card of the times. And, of course, theres the theory that it was all down to good old fashioned spite. Thanks so much! The less-than-thorough procedures of the Salem courtroom also prompted tighter, more rational legal processes that would later be enshrined in the US Constitution. Around the end of September, the use of spectral evidence was finally declared inadmissible, thus marking the beginning of the end of the Salem Witch Trials. 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. There were complex political, religious, and racial issues under the crisis. Those who were found guilty were pardoned by Governor Phips. 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? There wasnt really any one document or agreement that ended the trials. They were soft, obvious targets for a mistrustful, God-fearing populace living along strictly defined lines. 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? She is the author of Daily Spellbook for the Good Witch, Wicca Practical Magic and The Daily Spell Journal. King William's War (war in the America colonies against the French) ended with many people having to be relocated so there were many strangers moving into town. They all died on the same day so its hard to pinpoint who you are talking about. Curious to know the Publisher of this article. The doctor was unable to find anything physically wrong with them and suggested they may be bewitched. As sleet and snow heaped higher outside their door, Betty Parris and her cousin Abigail began to twitch and twist their bodies into strange shapes, speaking in words that made no sense. When asked who had done this to them, Betty and Abigail blamed three townswomen, including Tituba, a Native American slave who worked in the Parris household. Im going to put a note at the bottom of the article that says when it was last updated to make it easier for anyone doing reports and assignments. My fathers family have lived in this area for centuries. Farms were mortgaged or sold, first to pay prison fees, then to pay taxes; frequently they were abandoned. Of course, remembering the events of 1692 can still act as a brake when contemporary events take a sinister downturn. 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. Over 150 people were arrested for allegedly using witchcraft to inflict harm on their fellow townspeople, resulting in the executions of 20 people and the prison deaths of five more. Tried and found guilty within the course of a single day, Bishop was hanged a week later on 10 June, the first execution of the trials. what is a secondary source in this salem witch trail! Thats where spectral evidence comes in, and it played a significant role in the Salem trials. It seems like an easier thing to do than just sit there and be accused. The ages of the accused ranged from 12 to 72 years old, with the average age being 41. In additionone man was pressed to death; several others died in prison, and the lives of many were irrevocably changed. I Nige Tassell explains how hysteria in the village of Salem, Massachusets, gave rise to a horror that bedazzled the world. Find out what started the witch hunt of 1692. 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. Although the infamous persecution of witches . When Nurse was first arrested, many members of the community signed a petition asking for her release. I have all the other bibliographies from some other websites but I still need one from this one and I cant find it could you help me?? When we think of witches today, we think of girls with crystals and hats who like to listen to Stevie Nicks. Other medical explanations have included encephalitis lethargica, a disease carried by birds and animals, and Lyme disease, an infection that produces skin rashes similar to those believed to have been administered by the Salem witches. George Burroughs, a minister, was one of the few men accused of witchcraft during the trials. Patti Wigington is a pagan author, educator, and licensed clergy. (Eds.). The English laws against witchcraft were repealed in 1736, after which incidents of suspected bewitchment, by now very isolated, were dealt with by mob rule rather than by a clear legal framework. It is sad where the mind-set was back then. It tells of a period of time where religious extremest of a good and pure faith massacred several of their own kind in demented and mad ways. The hysterical behaviour was an unconscious outlet for rebellion, a release valve for the pressure that the threat of eternal damnation put them under. Heavy stones were loaded onto the board and the weight was gradually increased until the prison either entered a plea or died. Even when the court ordered further executions, Phips wisely issued pardons to those convicted.