Women were not the only ones believed to be witchesmen and children were accused too. The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. Porters never forgot about this n intermarried with many of the families afterwards. 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. 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. Ultimately, eight women and two men were tried and found guilty of attending the gathering. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Massachusetts Archives Collection, vol. 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. This is basically what got me an A on my history fair assignment, I appreciate all the time and effort put into writing this! Salem Village was populated mostly by poor farmers, and Salem Town was a prosperous port full of middle-class and wealthy merchants. By the way, thank you so much for this wonderful website; its really thorough and cool. 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. These were the last hangings of the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem witch trials began because a group of girls claimed they were possessed by the devil. See, the concept of fake news is nothing new. 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. One bitterly cold evening, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams the daughter and niece of the local Puritan minister Samuel Parris began displaying disturbing behaviour described as being beyond the power of epileptic fits or natural disease to effect. For everyone who remains intrigued by Salem, here are a few lesser-known facts about the witchcraft trials. Other victims include two dogs who were shot or killed after being suspected of witchcraft. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. 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. 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. These sources include official court records as well as several books, diaries and letters written by the various people involved in the trials. Local clergymen began speaking out against the witch hunt and tried to persuade officials to stop the trials. In effect, theSalem Witch Trialswere over. http://www.easybib.com/cite/view. We also have kept good records of everything. Oh well, live n learn, Its sad when you can pick out names of your relatives in every list. Bridget Bishop was convicted at the end of her trial and sentenced to death. The trials only lasted three months, but they managed to leave a perpetual dark mark on the town's history. Here's how they got it done. 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. 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. You can unsubscribe at any time. Montague Summer. Farms were mortgaged or sold, first to pay prison fees, then to pay taxes; frequently they were abandoned. Due to overcrowding in the jails, the accused witches were kept in multiple jails in Salem town, Ipswich and Boston. 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. Essex County Court Archives, vol. The history (both good and bad) is something we should all know about. I also have an ancestor, Mary Parsons, who was accused of witchcraft but she was allowed to live. 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. The Salem Witch Trials: Facts & History. The Salem Witch Trials: Facts & History. These women were Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn and a slave named Tituba who worked for Reverend Samuel Parris. Meanwhile, those who lived further away clung to their rigid Puritan values. 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. Heavy stones were loaded onto the board and the weight was gradually increased until the prison either entered a plea or died. The mayhem all started in 1692, when two cousins aged nine and 11 began experiencing delusions, strange fits, and other mysterious maladies. Before we get into the interesting facts about Salem and the Witch Trials, let's do a brief history of the Salem Witch Trials. Dramatic historic events such as witch trials didn't just come out of nowhere. Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. 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." I was wondering if there was a written document or agreement signed that ended the trials. The puritans, who had left England due to religious persecution, feared their religion was under attack again and worried they were losing control of their colony. Boston, MA. You can check out my article on books about the Salem Witch Trials here:https://historyofmassachusetts.org/best-books-about-salem-witch-trials/ or you could search the court records online on the University of Virginia website. Its a common myth that the Salem Witch Trials victims were burned at the stake. The state amended the 1957 apology on the exact date i was born. Went to the library to look for my family history but came across my friends families name. This was a special type of court in English law established specifically to hear cases that are extraordinary and serious in nature. A lot was changing in colonial America at the time. The hysterical behaviour was an unconscious outlet for rebellion, a release valve for the pressure that the threat of eternal damnation put them under. Spanos and Gottlieb argue. Of course, remembering the events of 1692 can still act as a brake when contemporary events take a sinister downturn. I am looking forward to the challenge of uncovering a multitude of analysis on this matter. I find this to be very well put and want to read more. 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? Get ready to pull out your history books as we bring you the most DISTURBING facts about the Salem Witch Trials. Then after said the dog died so it must have been innocent. It helped me very much on my history day project!! 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? and good job rebbeca! The governor released the last few prisoners the following May. Heres what I got if someone needed to use this for their biblyography. The best way to get people's attention is to start spreading sensational and fake news. 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. https://www.learnreligions.com/facts-about-the-salem-trials-2562897 (accessed March 5, 2023). 135, p. 112, No. Witch hunts I find the history interesting and would like to find more information on this matter. In seventeenth-century New England, pretty much everyone was practicing some form of Christianity. The initial article took me a few days to write and then I have been slowly adding to it and expanding it over the years. this helped me sooo much. All witches are women, but not every woman is a witch. Presided over by Chief Justice William Stoughton, the court was made up of magistrates and jurors. A strong belief in the devil, factions amongSalem Village familiesand rivalry with nearby Salem Town combined with a recent small pox epidemic and the threat of attack by warring tribes created a fertile ground for fear and suspicion. The slave Tituba, because of her background in the Caribbean (or possibly the West Indies), could have practiced some form of folk magic, but that has never been confirmed. They were soft, obvious targets for a mistrustful, God-fearing populace living along strictly defined lines. Rebecca Nurses execution was a pivotal moment in the Salem Witch Trials. It all began in 1692 and 1693 when Salem in the United States . It was last edited on September 8, 2013 at 4:52 pm, Thank you, Rebecca, recently I have been down and this is a paper for a class Im failing, Thank you for helping me get an A, What is the publisher for this website? Thanks! There are many theories that explain why the witch trials began in Medieval Europe. Other evidence used in the trials included confessions of the accused, possession of certain items such as poppets, ointments or books on the occult, as well as the presence of an alleged witchs teat, which was a strange mole or blemish, on the accused persons body. Wrong. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Hi Julanii, I am the writer and publisher of this article. These unsettling facts will shed light. Its pretty hard to show any sort of concrete, tangible evidence that someone is in league with the Devil or fiddling around with spirits. Puritans walk through the snow-covered woods to get to church. 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. Hysteria was from little girls facin threat of death by torture. Europe's favorite test was the swimming test. In June of 1692, the special Court of Oyer (to hear) and Terminer (to decide) sat in Salem to hear the cases of witchcraft. A witness testifies against an accused witch during one of the many witchcraft trials of the 1690s. There are many theories that explain why the witch trials began in Medieval Europe. Acts and Resolves, Public and Private, of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, vol. Salem Witch Trials from William A. Crafts Did the people really believe in witches? When Salem Villages new pastor,Reverend Samuel Parris, came to town, he denounced the secular behavior of the innkeepers and blacksmiths and others. I think they where viewed in an horrible way, because the people who where accused where not really witches. Proctor told them about the torture inflicted on the accused and asked that the trials be moved to Boston where he felt he would get a fair trial. 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. I think in some forms that witches still exist in hidden arenas. 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. Another interesting fact about the witch trials is not everyone in Salem actually believed in witchcraft or supported the trials. 1. 10. The eight-point response, penned by Cotton Mather, advised prudence when it came to procedure, cautioning that hastiness shouldnt overwhelm lawfulness. Device reportedly admitted an act of bewitchment, as well as accusing another woman of undertaking similar practices. Kisses and xoxo 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). I The Examination of Bridget Bishop, April 19, 1692. In pre-echoes of what would later occur in Salem, panic took hold of the local community, with accusations flying in all directions. Thanks so much for this! A prolific pamphleteer railing against the spread of witchcraft (or molestations from the invisible world), Mather was nonetheless keen for due diligence to occur inside the courtroom. Robbins, Rossell Hope. Through the loss of 20 lives, the episode continues to warn of the dangers of insularity and isolationism, of intolerance, of religious extremism. Heinrich Kramer wrote a whole book on why witches should be all exterminated and how to do that. During her trial, Bishop repeatedly defended herself, stating I am innocent, I know nothing of it, I have done no witchcraft . Learn Religions. Thirteen womenand five men from all stations of life followed her to the gallows onthree successive hanging daysbefore the court was disbanded by Governor William Phipps in October of that year. 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. 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. When visiting Salem, there are so many entertaining shows that were inspired by the real-life tragedies that took place in this spooky town. A child pointed to a dog and said it bewitched me and shot the dog immediately. The persecutors had to come up with a whole irrational legal system in order to justify this insanity. "Reproducing Witchcraft: Thou Shalt Not Suffer a Witch to Live". During Titubas examination, she made a shocking confession that she had been approached by Satan, along with Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn, and they had all agreed to do his bidding as witches. William Stoughton is an ancestor of mine, sorry to say. Hi Sarah, A man of God literally planned out a witch genocide. The Salem witch trials marked a seven-month period of mass hysteria in 1692 Colonial America. 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 am as innocent as the child unborn. Yes, it is loosely based on the Salem Witch Trials. In 1957, the state of Massachusetts officially apologized for the Salem Witch Trials and cleared the name ofsome of the remaining victims not listed in the 1711 law, stating: One Ann Pudeator and certain other persons yet did not list the other victims names. Preston, VK. European Witch trials started at a similar time as Protestantism. The following are some facts about the Salem Witch Trials: Im using this for my History project. 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. in journalism. Lines going back to Salem and Colonial New England in general are usually well documented. It makes me sad sometimes writing about it. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were killed during the hysteria. Nige Tassell is a freelance journalist specialising in history, This content first appeared in the January 2016 issue of BBC History Revealed, Save up to 49% AND your choice of gift card worth 10* when you subscribe BBC History Magazine or BBC History Revealed PLUS! 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 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. it was extremely helpful thank you so much! The Salem witch trials were a series of prosecutions in which over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft. Add in the numerous films and television series that reference Salem, and things get even more distorted. This legal tactic was known as peine forte et dure which means strong and harsh punishment.. Is there any credence to this theory? This is like the only website i found most helpful on Salem Witch Trial. A total of 19 accused witches were hanged at Proctors Ledge, near Gallows Hill, during the witch trials. Next: Spooky Places: 10 Destinations For Fans Of Witches. How many people (male and female) were killed in the Trials? Chapter 145 of the resolves of 1957, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Is the tv show Salem based on the Salem Witch Trials? How did this conflict impact the trials? Knowing that if he was convicted his large estate would be confiscated and wouldnt be passed down to his children, Corey brought his trial to a halt by refusing to enter a plea. this helped a lot on my social studies project. It also silenced any opposition to the idea that the Devil had infiltrated Salem. In mid-September, a further group went to the gallows Eight Firebrands of Hell in the words of Rev Noyes. Corey was accused of witchcraft in April during his wifes examination. The indictments then came thick and fast.