facts about the salem witch trials

Thanks hopefully i get an A :). 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. As the trials and executions continued, colonists began to doubt that so many people could actually be guilty of this crime. 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. 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. This really helped with my homework on the salem witch trials cause soon we are going to do an essay on this very soon. Ergot contains lysergic acid, a precursor for synthesis of LSD; certainly the visions of shape-shifting devils reported by the afflicted might be consistent with the experiences of an acid trip. Morrisiana, 1869Jackson, Shirley. The 52 remaining people in jail were tried in a new court, the Superior Court of Judicature, the following winter. Ever since those dark days ended, the trials have become synonymous with mass hysteria and scapegoating. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were killed during the hysteria. It makes me sad sometimes writing about it. Do not lay more stress on pure spectral evidence than it will bear, he cautioned. 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. 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? How many people (male and female) were killed in the Trials? A week later, the jury changed their minds and declared Nurse guilty. His death was gruesome and cruel and strengthened the growing opposition to the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem witch trials started with two girls having unexplainable fits. Wigington, Patti. 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 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. I could use this for classroom use. 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. These women were Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn and a slave named Tituba who worked for Reverend Samuel Parris. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. 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). One major factor was that in 1684, King Charles II revoked the Massachusetts Bay Colonys royal charter, a legal document granting the colonists permission to colonize the area. 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. Boyer, P., & Nissenbaum, S. Unlike some of the more notorious cases in Europe and England, such as that of the Pendle witch trial, there was no one among Salems accused who was known as a local witch or healer, with one exception. There are many theories that explain why the witch trials began in Medieval Europe. This helped with my English assignment! Native Americans and other religions represented threats by the Devil. InJanuary 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. "5 Facts About the Salem Trials." Dramatic historic events such as witch trials didn't just come out of nowhere. No one was burned at the stake in the Salem witch trials. 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. In June of 1692, the special Court of Oyer (to hear) and Terminer (to decide) sat in Salem to hear the cases of witchcraft. This was a special type of court in English law established specifically to hear cases that are extraordinary and serious in nature. These sources include official court records as well as several books, diaries and letters written by the various people involved in the trials. It is voluminous and comes in paperback and hardcover. Lets look at some important historical evidence that people often forget about the Salem witch trials. By the end of the trials in 1693, 24 people had died, some in jail but most by hanging. Went to the library to look for my family history but came across my friends families name. 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. Heinrich Kramer wrote a whole book on why witches should be all exterminated and how to do that. Finally, many of the symptoms described by witnesses stopped and began again based on external circumstances, and that simply doesnt happen with physiological illness. 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. I thought witchcraft only existed in Africa. A secondary source would be a book, journal or article written long after the event by someone who didnt experience it first hand. Rebecca, how long did this take you? On that day, Judge Samuel Sewall attended prayer services at Bostons South Church and asked Reverend Samuel Willard to read a public apology that Sewall had written, which states: Samuel Sewall, sensible of the reiterated strokes of God upon himself and family; and being sensible, that as to the guilt contracted upon the opening of the late Commission of Oyer and Terminer at Salem (to which the order of this day relates) he is, upon many accounts, more concerned than any that he knows of, desires to take the blame and shame of it, asking pardon of men, and especially desiring prayers that God, who has an unlimited authority, would pardon that sin and all other his sins; personal and relative: And according to his infinite benignity and sovereignty, not visit the sin of him, or of any other, upon himself or any of his, nor upon the land: But that he would powerfully defend him against all temptations to sin, for the future; and vouchsafe him the efficacious, saving conduct of his word and spirit.. By now, seven months on from the arrest of Sarah Good, the hysteria was decelerating. Salem Witch Trials Memorial at Proctor's Ledge 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? Has their been any further studies into the ergot theory besides the collage student in the early 70s? Keeping to yourself and minding your own business seemed suspicious. 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. They should've told the US it was all fake once they came to their senses, but they didn't. The ages of the accused ranged from 12 to 72 years old, with the average age being 41. The Untold Story of the Salem Witch Trials Welcome back to Unfolding History!While the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 are often remembered as a dark period of. Giles Corey, the husband of Martha Corey, refused to enter a plea and was subjected to a particularly gruesome form of torture where the accused is crushed under heavy stones until they either respond or die a tactic known as peine forte et dure, (until he either answered or died). Corey still refused to offer a plea and paid with his life. Nineteen were hanged, and oneelderly Giles Coreypressed to death. Despite its power as a cautionary tale, Salem remains an enigma that continues to fascinate and beguile more than three centuries later. Second, everyone got their food from the same place, so symptoms would have occurred in every household, not just a select few. All of the accused were finally pardoned in 1711. The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schnauzer. I need to compare 2 victims of the salem witch trails and find a way that they are linked as indiviguals and how their lives had similar paths that lead to victimhood but this thing is wayyyyy to long. I am no more a witch than you are a wizard. A large brick building now stands on this spot with a memorial plaque dedicated to the old jail. Massachusetts State Archives. This court consisted of eight judges. it was extremely helpful thank you so much! This really helped me on my essay, thank you so much. These spirits could inhabit any human or any creature. Another interesting fact about the witch trials is not everyone in Salem actually believed in witchcraft or supported the trials. 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. propably in like 1-3 weeks away. 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. An Account of the Life, Character, & C., of the Rev. The pair had been bewitched. The mayhem all started in 1692, when two cousins aged nine and 11 began experiencing delusions, strange fits, and other mysterious maladies. thank you for the bibliography it helps a lot! The girls were having a type of epileptic fit and would scream out . More than 200 people were accused. It disgusts me but at the same time interests me, and makes me want to learn more. Although I just found it, it has helped me with what I needed on my Salem Witch Trials report for History. Where did theses trials take place were there anymore places then Massachusetts Bay. Web. Not many people fled Salem, only a handful did, because Salem was their home and had been for a long time. Kinda sad after reading everything. Bishop had been accused of witchcraft years before but was cleared of the crime. Here's how they got it done. Why do you think there are so little primary sources on the Salem Witch Trials? (Eds.). To complicate matters further, within Salem Village itself, there were two separate social groups. 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. They were soft, obvious targets for a mistrustful, God-fearing populace living along strictly defined lines. On October 29, 1692, Phips dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer, a decision that marked the beginning of the end for the Salem witch trials. When she is not traveling, you will find her reading, drinking coffee and chatting away with her many international friends. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFRobinson2001 (. 1982)]. Chapter 145 of the resolves of 1957, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The devil had won. Through the loss of 20 lives, the episode continues to warn of the dangers of insularity and isolationism, of intolerance, of religious extremism. [State v. Dustin, 122 N.H. 544, 551 (N.H. Some (incredibly mean) people devoted their time to making a science out of witchcraft. In short, Spanos and Gottlieb believe that the ergotism theory is off-base for several reasons. Hi William, thats really cool that you are a descendant of Mary Easty. During her trial, Bishop repeatedly defended herself, stating I am innocent, I know nothing of it, I have done no witchcraft . this helped a lot on my social studies project. The theory first came to prominence in the 1970s, when Linnda R. Caporael wrote Ergotism: The Satan Loosed in Salem? 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. Please be respectful of copyright. 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?? All rights reserved, National Geographic book Witches! Was there some sort of compromise at the end? in journalism. 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. Secondary sources would be Charles Uphams book Salem Witchcraft which was published in 1867, Emerson Bakers book A Storm of Witchcraft which was published in 2014 and etc. The Story of the Salem Witch Trials is a history of that event. She was released from jail shortly after the hangings began, and was never tried or convicted. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. By the end of May, more than 60 people were in custody; the vast majority were women, but a handful of men were also detained. On October 29, Phips dismissed the Court of Oyer and Terminer. Here's what we know about the original witch hunt: 1. This was a dark time but it is good to see the court system advance. I want to use this for my bibliograohy, Same but I cant find it. If they drowned, they were considered innocent. The governor released the last few prisoners the following May. They were part of a long story of witch hunts that began in Europe in the 14th century. Smithsonia, 8 Sept. 2013. A large proportion of the case against Bishop also focused on her lifestyle, especially her rumoured promiscuity and un-Puritan ways. 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. Often, in movies and television and books, the accusers in the Salem trials are portrayed as angsty teenage girls, but thats not completely true. A witness testifies against an accused witch during one of the many witchcraft trials of the 1690s. When the first accusations of witchcraft began in Salem Village, they initially targeted women. The Salem Witch Trials. Psychosomatic disorders have been suggested as the root of the hysteria, most notably the societal strains placed on them in a strict, deeply religious adult world that made no contingency for the developmental needs of children. It is sad where the mind-set was back then. 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. Although many of the other accused women were unpopular social outcasts, Nurse was a pious, well-respected and well-loved member of the community. The torture consisted of laying the prisoner on the ground, naked, with a board placed on top of him. They hanged the poor souls instead. Rev Nicholas Noyes, one of the local clergymen who had vigorously pursued the prosecutions, was the particular focus of Sarah Goods anger: You are a liar. 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. I guarantee Im not related to any putnum. Salem Village was populated mostly by poor farmers, and Salem Town was a prosperous port full of middle-class and wealthy merchants. Alden was accused of witchcraft by a child during a trip to Salem while he was on his way home to Boston from Canada. I think they where viewed in an horrible way, because the people who where accused where not really witches. The jail was a small wooden structure with a dungeon underneath. Also, when was his last updated? The Catholic and Protestant churches fought for new followers. Another notable person who was accused of witchcraft was Captain John Alden Jr., the son of the Mayflower crew member John Alden. Note: it is expensive. As chief justice, Stoughton believed that spectral evidence presented to the court that is, evidence gathered from dreams and visions would form a central plank of the prosecutions. and good job rebbeca! Nevertheless, we cannot but humbly recommend unto the government, the speedy and vigorous prosecution of such as have rendered themselves obnoxious, according to the direction given in the laws of God, and the wholesome statutes of the English nation, for the detection of witchcrafts. The link can be found in the section of this article titled Salem Witch Trial Victims. 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. In pre-echoes of what would later occur in Salem, panic took hold of the local community, with accusations flying in all directions. The hysteria gripping Salem a settlement resonating with the incessant sound of accusation and counteraccusation showed that no-one was exempt from suspicion. That same month, four more women were accused and arrested:Rebecca NurseMartha CoreyDorothy GoodRachel Clinton (from Ipswich). Proctors wife managed to escape execution because she was pregnant, but Proctor was hanged on August 19 along with five other people. Anja Grar is a writer, based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 1. Between 1647 and 1688, 12 women had been sentenced to death for making covenants with the devil. A child pointed to a dog and said it bewitched me and shot the dog immediately. It seems like an easier thing to do than just sit there and be accused. "The Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Legal History". Alden spent 15 weeks in jail before friends helped break him out and he escaped to New York. https://www.learnreligions.com/facts-about-the-salem-trials-2562897 (accessed March 5, 2023). Porters never forgot about this n intermarried with many of the families afterwards. Thank you for the kind comments. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. His diagnosis of bewitchment put into motion the forces that would ultimately result in the hanging deaths of 19 men and women. I have countless ancestors out of Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of my grandmothers was Martha Carrier. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were killed during the hysteria. 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. The new court was presided over by William Stoughton, Thomas Danforth, John Richards, Waitstill Winthrop and Samuel Sewall. 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. 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. Hi Indigo, Im assuming you mean eyewitness accounts. 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. At the time, Salem Village was a small New England town populated mostly by Puritans, or religious individuals with a belief in the devil. 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. 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's unlikely that anyone in Salem was actually practicing witchcraftmost of the community consisted of devout and pious Christians. After Nurses execution on July 19th, the residents of Salem started to seriously question the validity of the trials. You can unsubscribe at any time. According to the official Salem website, the trials were shorter than most people believe, but they were still deadly. Among those detained in March 1692 were Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse, upstanding members of the local churches in Salem Village and Salem Town respectively. 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. He knew the clergy did not fully approve of the witch hunts. The Superior Court of Judicature, formed to replace the witchcraft court, did not allow spectral evidence. Within minutes theyre led, hoods drawn over their heads, towards a rudimentary set of gallows, and their imminent executions. Do you know if their are any reports from some of the people in the villiage? 135, no. Crown Publishers Inc., 1959. 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. Get ready to pull out your history books as we bring you the most DISTURBING facts about the Salem Witch Trials. However, the subtlety of the ministers response was largely sidelined by the grand jury, who drew their energy from one particular concluding line from Mather: we cannot but humbly recommend unto the government, the speedy and vigorous prosecution of such as have rendered themselves obnoxious. In possession of such a mandate, the trials moved up a gear. The others were either found guilty but pardoned, found not guilty, were never indicted or simply evaded arrest or escaped from jail. 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. There were the ordinary stresses of 17th-century life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 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. 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. A fear-ridden society always finds scapegoats. As years passed, apologies were offered and restitution was made to the victims families. 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. The Salem Witch Trials occurred in the settlement of Salem in colonial Massachusetts in 1692 and 1693, and resulted in the executions of twenty people accused of witchcraft, most of them women. The Carringtons were indicted Feb. 20, 1651, and convicted and executed two weeks later, the only husband and wife to be accused, tried and hanged as witches. The eight-point response, penned by Cotton Mather, advised prudence when it came to procedure, cautioning that hastiness shouldnt overwhelm lawfulness. I need to cite this for my reference sheet. Its good to see that the court system has progressed. Since the witch trials ended, the colony also began to suffer many misfortunes such as droughts, crop failures, smallpox outbreaks and Native-American attacks and many began to wonder if God was punishing them for their mistake. The 17th century Salem has nothing on witch hunts that went down in Europe. The witch trials were held in Salem, Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693. 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. Its pretty hard to show any sort of concrete, tangible evidence that someone is in league with the Devil or fiddling around with spirits. In Salem for example, the first significant victim of the witch trials was Tituba, a slave from the Caribbean. Native History & Indigenous Acknowledgement, The Journey from 1692 to Salems Modern Witch Community. Did the Putnams purchase any of the land from those who were accused and killed? 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. It has so many details that I need. Then after said the dog died so it must have been innocent. (2021, September 9). 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. Get FREE access to HistoryExtra.com. The leading independent voice for aviation news and insight. 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.

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