Massachusetts Archives, Vol. Salem witch trials (1692-93), a series of investigations and persecutions that caused 19 convicted 'witches' to be hanged and many other suspects to be imprisoned in Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. When she is not traveling, you will find her reading, drinking coffee and chatting away with her many international friends. http://www.easybib.com/cite/view. A 1976 study, printed in the journal Science, attributed the girls hysterical and possibly hallucinogenic behaviour to the ingestion of rye bread made with grain infected with ergot of rye. A week later, the jury changed their minds and declared Nurse guilty. Getting the right to vote didn't come easy for women. Mather saw the war against Satan as being just as important as the war against the French and the local Native American tribes. 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. They took place in a number of cities in Massachusetts Bay Colony in the years 1692 and 1693, but primarily in the town of Salem. 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. 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. It is called Records of the Salem Witch Hunt and is edited by Bernard Rosenthal. Lines going back to Salem and Colonial New England in general are usually well documented. The new court released those awaiting trial and pardoned those awaiting execution. When was this last edited? On October 29, Phips dismissed the Court of Oyer and Terminer. The Salem witch trials started with two girls having unexplainable fits. 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. Thanks! Is this a homework question? One of the best known of the accused has been the focus of some conjecture regarding whether or not she was practicing folk magic, because she was believed to be a "fortune teller." The trials are believed to have been the reason why the US constitution recognizes witchcraft as a legal religion. Other victims include two dogs who were shot or killed after being suspected of witchcraft. Pre-trial examinations were held at the Salem Village meetinghouse, in Reverend Samuel Parris house in Salem Village, in Ingersoll Tavern at Salem Village and in Beadles Tavern in Salem Town. Ancestry is the easiest way. At the announcement ceremony, playwright Arthur Miller made a speech and read from the last act of his 1953 play, The Crucible, which was inspired by the Salem Witch Trials. HI there! As the cart bumps its way towards a hill on the outskirts, the five contemplate their mortality. Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. Of course, remembering the events of 1692 can still act as a brake when contemporary events take a sinister downturn. More significant were admissions of attending a witches meeting on Pendle Hill. Related: The 10 Best Witch Things To Do In Salem. Eventually, after seeming to realize how unfair the trials were to the accused, the court refused to hear any more charges of witchcraft. They feared many innocent people were being executed. A. 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. By pointing the finger at others, they were able to shift the blame and spare their own lives. Corey was accused of witchcraft in April during his wifes examination. Thank you for the kind comments. There wasnt really any one document or agreement that ended the trials. 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. 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. Despite its power as a cautionary tale, Salem remains an enigma that continues to fascinate and beguile more than three centuries later. (Eds.). Just pay for a month and go nuts adding records to a tree. The 52 remaining people in jail were tried in a new court, the Superior Court of Judicature, the following winter. 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. 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. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Get ready to pull out your history books as we bring you the most DISTURBING facts about the Salem Witch Trials. thank u. Church was all powerful in those days. Twenty people were put to death in Salem for the crime of witchcraft. Get FREE access to HistoryExtra.com. Q&A: Were ducking stools ever used as punishment for crimes other than witchcraft during the Middle Ages. They should've told the US it was all fake once they came to their senses, but they didn't. 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. Encyclopdia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them. The Catholic and Protestant churches fought for new followers. 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). And, of course, theres the theory that it was all down to good old fashioned spite. What gave witches away were body marks, such as scars and moles. Also i seems like a smarter thing to do at the moment if you had a rival with one of the families in town. 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. 1, pp. From unbelievable witch swimming tests to th. I am the author and publisher of this blog. It is sad where the mind-set was back then. 15 Dark Truths You Didn't Know About The Salem Witch Trials. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. In seventeenth-century New England, pretty much everyone was practicing some form of Christianity. When asked who it was that had afflicted them, they named Good a homeless woman who had fallen destitute after denying the inheritance of her wealthy fathers estate as one of the three culprits. That same month, four more women were accused and arrested:Rebecca NurseMartha CoreyDorothy GoodRachel Clinton (from Ipswich). No one was burned at the stake in the Salem witch trials. When we think of witches today, we think of girls with crystals and hats who like to listen to Stevie Nicks. The proclamation suggested that there should be: observed a Day of Prayer with Fasting throughout the ProvinceSo that all Gods people may put away that which hath stirred Gods Holy jealousy against his land; that he wouldhelp us wherein we have done amiss to do so no more; and especially that whatever mistakes on either hand have fallen intoreferring to the late tragedy, raised among us by Satan and his instruments, through the awful judgement of God, he would humble us therefore and pardon all the errors and people that desire to love his name. Salem Witchcraft and Cotton Mather: A Reply. When a young Lancastrian woman called Alison Device asked for a pin from a travelling peddler but was denied, the peddler apparently became immediately paralysed down his left side. 6 The Role Of Religion In Witch Trials Another notable person who was accused of witchcraft was Captain John Alden Jr., the son of the Mayflower crew member John Alden. A large brick building now stands on this spot with a memorial plaque dedicated to the old jail. Most of the eyewitness accounts can be found in the court records and the books written by the ministers involved in the trials. Even when the court ordered further executions, Phips wisely issued pardons to those convicted. It's also important to remember that there is no evidence, other than spectral evidence and coerced confessions, that any of the accused actually did practice witchcraft. The Salem Witch Trials were one of the best documented trials of colonial times. Do you know if their are any reports from some of the people in the villiage? This court consisted of eight judges. No one cared about minorities or "loners" anyway. Titubas confession was the trigger that sparked the mass hysteria and the hunt for more witches in Salem. I sincerely cant thank you enough! Oh and sorry for talking a lot but if you need a website for your bibliographys heres an awesome sight I use it for school a lot and its supper easy use. At the same time, the accused would be denied legal representation. I love this site! They screamed, made unearthly sounds, suffered convulsions and violently threw objects, and themselves, around their homes. On July 23, John Proctor wrote to the clergy in Boston. On October 31, 2001, the state amended the 1957 apology and cleared the names of the remaining unnamed victims, stating: Chapter 145 of the resolves of 1957 is hereby amended by striking out, in line 1, the words One Ann Pudeator and certain other persons and inserting in place thereof the following words:- Ann Pudeator, Bridget Bishop, Susannah Martin, Alice Parker, Margaret Scott and Wilmot Redd.. "Reproducing Witchcraft: Thou Shalt Not Suffer a Witch to Live". When was this site last edited? Unauthorized use is prohibited. These women were Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn and a slave named Tituba who worked for Reverend Samuel Parris. They were a means of crowd control that gave way to changes in power structures. Another interesting fact about the witch trials is not everyone in Salem actually believed in witchcraft or supported the trials. These sources include official court records as well as several books, diaries and letters written by the various people involved in the trials. The first of the girls to start experiencing symptoms was Betty Parris, followed by Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam Jr., Mary Walcott and Mercy Lewis. 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. 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. 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. It was not difficult for the people of Salem to believe they were involved in witchcraft. Hi Sarah, I see that you told someone quite a while ago but I dont think that is up to date. "Maleus Maleficarum Part I.". Good and Osbourne insisted they were innocent. The theory first came to prominence in the 1970s, when Linnda R. Caporael wrote Ergotism: The Satan Loosed in Salem? I am totally shocked to be related in this way. 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. No more restricting property ownership and voting rights to only church members. OMG! To identify witches, authorities used the "touching test", in which victims of witchcraft would become calm upon touching the culprit. in journalism. 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. Why do you think there are so little primary sources on the Salem Witch Trials? The European witch trials took place in the 15th century. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Massachusetts was an outpost of Gods chosen people in a hostile wilderness in the 17th century. 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. I last updated this article on March 26, 2016. According to Plouffe, Jr., the trials were the largest of . 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. My fathers family have lived in this area for centuries. The Story of the Salem Witch Trials is a history of that event. This really helped me on my essay, thank you so much. this helped a lot on my social studies project. When it came to religion, Salem Village was as devout as any other settlement in the area; one visitor observed that the residents of New England could neither drive a bargain, nor make a jest, without a text of Scripture at the end of it. Very well done! Did the Putnams purchase any of the land from those who were accused and killed? The following are some facts about the Salem Witch Trials: The torture consisted of laying the prisoner on the ground, naked, with a board placed on top of him. Three days earlier, the death of another of the accused had occurred. 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 hysterical behaviour was an unconscious outlet for rebellion, a release valve for the pressure that the threat of eternal damnation put them under. Learn Religions, Sep. 9, 2021, learnreligions.com/facts-about-the-salem-trials-2562897. One person was pressed to death, and over 150 others were jailed, where still others died. Between 1692 and 1693, more than two hundred people were accused. 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 were all kinds of tests to determine whether a woman was a witch. And particularly, as I was a chief instrument of accusing of Goodwife Nurse and her two sisters, I desire to lie in the dust, and to be humbled for it, in that I was a cause, with others, of so sad a calamity to them and their families; for which cause I desire to lie in the dust, and earnestly beg forgiveness of God, and from all those unto whom I have given just cause of sorrow and offence, whose relations were taken away or accused.. As if the lonely and misunderstood didn't have a hard enough life on its own, they seemed the most suspicious to the crowds. It went all the way back to the Salem Witch trials. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were killed during the hysteria. Her initial verdict was, in fact, not guilty, but upon hearing the verdict the afflicted girls began to have fits in the courtroom. Corbis/VCG via Getty Images / Getty Images. 62, No. Heres what I got if someone needed to use this for their biblyography. His diagnosis of bewitchment put into motion the forces that would ultimately result in the hanging deaths of 19 men and women. The following are some facts about the Salem Witch Trials: The Salem Witch Trials were a series of witchcraft cases brought before local magistrates in a settlement called Salem which was a part of the Massachusetts Bay colony in the 17th century. When Salem Villages new pastor,Reverend Samuel Parris, came to town, he denounced the secular behavior of the innkeepers and blacksmiths and others. I was wondering if there was a written document or agreement signed that ended the trials. Id really like to see period sources for your assertion here. Where did theses trials take place were there anymore places then Massachusetts Bay. Salem Village was populated mostly by poor farmers, and Salem Town was a prosperous port full of middle-class and wealthy merchants. This was a special type of court in English law established specifically to hear cases that are extraordinary and serious in nature. The doctors diagnosis? harvnb error: no target: CITEREFRobinson2001 (. The first witch trial occurred because the daughter (Betty Parris) and niece (Abigail Williams) of the local Salem Reverend had become violently ill. Hi William, thats really cool that you are a descendant of Mary Easty. Salem Witch Trials Memorial at Proctor's Ledge One other man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death after refusing to enter a plea, and at least five people . Corey, a woman who, in her own words, had made a profession of Christ and rejoiced to go and hear the word of God, had drawn the attention of the prosecutors by offering the opinion that the accusers were just poor, distracted children. George Burroughs, a minister, was one of the few men accused of witchcraft during the trials. 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. During that time, 19 people were hanged and one person was pressed to death. 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. Well, Sharis, the Salem Witch Trials are quite complicated and cant be accurately summed up in a short article. 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 read a paper several years ago that attributed much of the Salem Witch Trials to classism and arguments over land and land rights several years ago, but cant seem to remember its authors or publisher. Spanos and Gottlieb argue. 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. Visit this site's About page to find out more about Rebecca. I need to cite this for my reference sheet. Soon, prisons were filled with more than 150 men and women from towns surrounding Salem; their names had been cried out by tormented young girls as the cause of their pain. 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. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. They left an 11-year-old son, John Jr . Although she wasnt released, most people were confident she would be found not guilty and released. Thank for the site it is so helpful for my project! I need to make a bibliography for my English report. 126. 121, p. 108. During the trial, Tituba confessed to having seen the devil and also stated that there was a coven, or group, of witches in the Salem Village area. It is voluminous and comes in paperback and hardcover. Rebecca Nurses execution was a pivotal moment in the Salem Witch Trials. Unfortunately, I do not have any information on her family tree but you might want to check out a genealogy site like ancestry.com to find out more. 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? Wow. 5 Facts About the Salem Trials. (University of Kansas, 1997). We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Hi Sara, the last hangings of the Salem Witch Trials took place on September 22 and they include six women: Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Margaret Scott, Wilmot Redd and Mary Parker. There are many theories that explain why the witch trials began in Medieval Europe. Thanks! Boston, MA. I lasted edited this page on October 18, 2015. The Salem witch trials were a series of prosecutions in which over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft. Then after said the dog died so it must have been innocent. 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. Both, like Good, were viewed as outcasts by the local community; Tituba for her race and Osborne for the shedding of any religious beliefs she might once have held. Thanks so much! How could so many people believe the afflicted girls without no real evidence. In pre-echoes of what would later occur in Salem, panic took hold of the local community, with accusations flying in all directions. And this was for a people who saw themselves as ordered by God to build their shining City on a Hill. this helped me sooo much. The fact is, no accused witches were burned at the stake in Salem, Massachusetts. Yet another crucial moment during the Salem Witch Trials was the public torture and death of Giles Corey. 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. There the accused were questioned by a judge in front of a jury, which decided whether or not to indict the accused on charges of witchcraft. I think they where viewed in an horrible way, because the people who where accused where not really witches. Lets look at some important historical evidence that people often forget about the Salem witch trials. Hi Julanii, I am the writer and publisher of this article. A secondary source would be a book, journal or article written long after the event by someone who didnt experience it first hand. Find out what started the witch hunt of 1692. Sarah Wildes was my 8th great grandmother. 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. Salem witch trials, (June 1692-May 1693), in American history, a series of investigations and persecutions that caused 19 convicted "witches" to be hanged and many other suspects to be imprisoned in Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (now Danvers, Massachusetts). The exact cause of the Salem Witch Trials is unknown but they were probably a number of causes. For everyone who remains intrigued by Salem, here are a few lesser-known facts about the witchcraft trials. The first to be tried wasBridget Bishopof Salem who was found guilty and was hanged on June 10. 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. Yes, it is loosely based on the Salem Witch Trials. 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. Do you have a version number for this site? The day of prayer and fasting was held on January 15, 1698, and was known as the Day of Official Humiliation. This really helped with my homework on the salem witch trials cause soon we are going to do an essay on this very soon. The Salem witch trials of the late 17th century were a formative episode in America's early history, and have remained at the forefront of the national consciousness ever since. propably in like 1-3 weeks away. By now, seven months on from the arrest of Sarah Good, the hysteria was decelerating. Glanvill, Joseph. "The Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Legal History". At the time, Salem Village was a small New England town populated mostly by Puritans, or religious individuals with a belief in the devil. 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. Seven more died in jail. His death was gruesome and cruel and strengthened the growing opposition to the Salem Witch Trials. There were complex political, religious, and racial issues under the crisis. 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. Although I just found it, it has helped me with what I needed on my Salem Witch Trials report for History. Corey still refused to offer a plea and paid with his life. This was so helpful for my project! A newer, more anti-religious charter replaced the original one in 1691 and also combined the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony and several other colonies into one. They basically played the trump card of the times. What was this witchery actually about and how did it all start? hope you in joy it was really helpful to my students and i, Thankyou this helpedme a lot for my 3 page essay in english 11 class. Related: 10 Scary Churches From Around The World That Will Creep You Out. As the trials and executions continued, colonists began to doubt that so many people could actually be guilty of this crime. Before we get into the interesting facts about Salem and the Witch Trials, let's do a brief history of the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem witch trials began because a group of girls claimed they were possessed by the devil. A fear-ridden society always finds scapegoats. 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. 135, p. 112, No. Wigington, Patti. "Examination and Evidence of Some the Accused Witches in Salem, 1692. I have countless ancestors out of Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of my grandmothers was Martha Carrier. Some say it's because temperatures dropped significantly, there was famine and people needed a scapegoat. Thank you so much, this was also, by far, the best site ive come across for salem trials. Wigington, Patti. Hi Maria, I dont have a version number for this site. In 1711, the colony passed a bill restoring some of the names of the convicted witches and paid a total of 600 in restitution to their heirs. Think it was her kids. 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