Massachusetts State Archives. 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 first of the girls to start experiencing symptoms was Betty Parris, followed by Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam Jr., Mary Walcott and Mercy Lewis. 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. Twenty-four people died during the Salem witch trials, though many more were accused of witchcraft.
Salem witch trials Facts | Britannica 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. 62, No. On September 22, eight people were hanged. There were no clear-cut rules besides that: either they were after women for being single, having too many friends, no friends or being too poor. Went to the library to look for my family history but came across my friends families name. Heinrich Kramer wrote a whole book on why witches should be all exterminated and how to do that. There is actually a compilation of all of the primary sources on the Salem Witch Trials. Dramatic historic events such as witch trials didn't just come out of nowhere. The pair had been bewitched. Farms were mortgaged or sold, first to pay prison fees, then to pay taxes; frequently they were abandoned.
What Were The Salem Witch Trials? Explore The Facts And History Good and Osbourne insisted they were innocent. The others were either found guilty but pardoned, found not guilty, were never indicted or simply evaded arrest or escaped from jail. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, and the event still haunts us today. Wrong. When visiting Salem, there are so many entertaining shows that were inspired by the real-life tragedies that took place in this spooky town. Im using this for my History project. It was viewed as a sin against God, the church, and the Crown, and thus was treated as a crime.
Even when the court ordered further executions, Phips wisely issued pardons to those convicted. I think that maybe they thought they were bewitched. A total of 19 accused witches were hanged at Proctors Ledge, near Gallows Hill, during the witch trials.
Cotton Mather and the Salem Witch Trials - The History Junkie 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. Wigington, Patti. The ages of the accused ranged from 12 to 72 years old, with the average age being 41. Mather saw the war against Satan as being just as important as the war against the French and the local Native American tribes. 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. Critics such as Proctor were quickly accused of witchcraft themselves, under the assumption that anyone who denied the existence of witches or defended the accused must be one of them, and were brought to trial. (Eds.). The new court released those awaiting trial and pardoned those awaiting execution. Im just going to use Smithsonian, ARe you the editor/author of this site @Rebecca Beatrice Brooks, Hi Gigi, yes Im the editor/author of this site, thanks so much I needed that for my homework, Where can I get a copy of the Salem 1692 map that you posted? The state amended the 1957 apology on the exact date i was born. Then say they were wrong. From unbelievable witch swimming tests to th. "5 Facts About the Salem Trials." More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraftthe devil's magic and 20 were executed .
One person was pressed to death, and over 150 others were jailed, where still others died. When was this site last edited? In January 1692 Salem Village was dealing with a lot. I thought witchcraft only existed in Africa. The best way to get people's attention is to start spreading sensational and fake news. How did this conflict impact the trials? 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. You have been so helpful! 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. It is voluminous and comes in paperback and hardcover.
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. ", What does that mean, in laymans terms? Lets look at some important historical evidence that people often forget about the Salem witch trials. 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? The Salem Witch Trials are a dark stain on American history and on the history of Christianity. Even poor animals were not safe and they could actually get accused and executed as well. Corey still refused to offer a plea and paid with his life. What gave witches away were body marks, such as scars and moles. Thank you for this amazing Article. Salem witch trial started as feud between Porters n putnums cuz putnums felt Porters gave too much freedom to their black servants. Salem Witch Trials Memorial at Proctor's Ledge To complicate matters further, within Salem Village itself, there were two separate social groups. 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. "The Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Legal History". It also silenced any opposition to the idea that the Devil had infiltrated Salem. Curious to know the Publisher of this article. On 2 June, the specially convened Court of Oyer and Terminer (oyer meaning to hear, terminer meaning to decide) sat for the first time, presided over by William Stoughton, the newly appointed lieutenant governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. 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. Acts and Resolves, Public and Private, of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, vol. William Stoughton is an ancestor of mine, sorry to say. The political instability and threat to their religion created a feeling of uneasiness and discontent in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 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. . When the first accusations of witchcraft began in Salem Village, they initially targeted women. This, coupled with the fact that the accused also had their estates confiscated if they were convicted has led many historians to believe that religious feuds and property disputes played a big part in the witch trials. . They were said to have helped witches and were referred to as their familiars. Nige Tassell explains how hysteria in the village of Salem, Massachusets, gave rise to a horror that bedazzled the world Published: June 10, 2020 at 4:45 pm Native Americans and other religions represented threats by the Devil. It is pretty sad. As sleet and snow heaped higher outside their door, Betty Parris and. As a direct result, food became scarce and taxes higher. Well, most of the people accused lived in the part of Salem Village that was full of businesses and shops. By May 1693 . Got the movie and became more interested in what really happened. 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. The other most notorious case of witchcraft in England came during the British Civil Wars when Matthew Hopkins the son of a Puritan clergyman and the self-styled Witch Finder General scoured East Anglia in search those suspected of making covenants with the Devil. 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. Wow. 82 (Boston: Wright and Potter, 1902), pp. The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology. Visit this site's About page to find out more about Rebecca. A. 1 Most of the accused were women but men were accusedand executedtoo. Learn Religions. The court didnt believe them, and found all three women guilty of practicing witchcraft. I mean the whole cause was a wheat bacteria/fungi called ergot. The Trials Salem had become a hotbed for accusations of witchcraft. This was a special type of court in English law established specifically to hear cases that are extraordinary and serious in nature. The Salem witch trials were a series of prosecutions in which over 200 people were accused of practicing 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.