(Salem Witch Trials "History" published on November 4, 2011 and updated on October 5, 2021). List three facts about each and three opinions. In February, unable to account for their behaviour medically, the local doctor, William Griggs, put the blame on the supernatural. Although Giles was a wealthy farmer and Martha was a prominent church member, both of them had pasts they werent exactly advertising to the public. The Salem Witch Trials (1692) Cartoon - YouTube (2:10) https://youtu.be/jJJLy5_DlqY Its time for a Halloween special! Salem Witch Trials Facts for Kids The effects of the Salem Village witch trials were devastating: 141 people imprisoned, 19 people executed, and two more died from other causes directly related to the investigations.1 The Salem witch trials would account for a quarter of all people executed for the crime of witchcraft in the history of New England,2 and would furthermore prove Facts Did You Know? So if you are a witch, no need to worry about this ever happening again! They argue that the trialscreated a taboo in America against mixing religion and government, and George Lincoln Burr called it, the rock on which the theocracy shattered. There is also no question that the incident remains a constant reminder in our collective minds about the importance of due process in a legal system, and the dangers of premature overreaction and irrational hysteria. Some have suggested that the man who was truly responsible for initiating the witch trial debacle was Reverend Samuel Parris, the father and uncle of the afflicted girls. The Salem witch trials marked a seven-month period of mass hysteria in 1692 Colonial America. Statistical Analysis of the Accused. Salem Witch Trials . And the first person executed for witchcraft during the trials was also a woman. Lets just, The Crucible (1996), Twentieth Century Fox, Salem (20142017), 20th Century Fox Television, I Married a Witch (1942), Paramount Pictures, The Truth Always Comes Out: Dark Family Secrets Exposed, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress, Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs First Wife, Festive Facts About Bing Crosby, The King Of Christmas, Stormy Facts About Sammy Davis Jr., The Worlds Greatest Entertainer, Sorrowful Facts About Alma Rubens, The Silent Film Siren, Daring Facts About Gina Lollobrigida, Golden Hollywoods Last Survivor. Just when did the Salem witch trials take place in the timeline of American history? The Salem Witch Trials, 1692 - EyeWitness To History Despite the horrible and senseless loss of life and community divisions that the witch trials caused, some historians believe that the traumatic incident had a silver lining. William Good, who lost his wife Sarah and infant daughter Mercy, and whose daughter Dorothy was imprisoned, was one of the people who received the largest settlement. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, and the event still haunts us today. Salem Witch Hunt | WebEnglish There were two Salems in the late 17th century: a bustling commerce-oriented port community on Massachusetts Bay known as Salem Town, which would evolve into modern Salem, and, roughly 10 miles (16 km) inland from it, a smaller, poorer farming community of some 500 persons known as Salem Village. Photo Credit: https://bit.ly/39AhFc2 But the accusations didnt stop there. The people of Salem often ate rye bread,and in wet, swampy conditions (which Salem had at the time), rye can foster a fungus called ergot. At the time of the Salem Witch Trials, Abigail was living with her uncle, Reverend Samuel Parris, his daughter Betty Parris and Parris' slaves Tituba and John Indian. This resulted in him being accused as well, and in the end it was he who was executed while Elizabeth was instead sentenced to prison so that her unborn baby would not have to die. The most famous witch trial in history happened in Salem, Massachusetts, during the winter and spring of 1692-1693. When Millers The Crucible was produced, it was in the aftermath of his feud with Elia Kazan, the man who had directed his two earlier hit plays All My Sons and Death of a Salesman. It involved a woman by the name of Tituba, a most likely South American slave from Barbados, who was the first victim of Salems witchcraft accusations. Although Salem Village was at the heart of the witch trials of 1692, the accused were from a couple dozen towns. Accusations followed, often escalating to convictions and executions. Despite the horrible and senseless loss of life and community divisions that the witch trials caused, some historians believe that the traumatic incident had a silver lining. The Multitude of Salem Witch Trials Descendants. New England Historical Society. Part of the escalation of theSalem trials included investigators literally going door to door and asking homeowners to rat out any suspected witches in their midst. Linder, Douglas O. This evidence was later banned bythe courts, leading to a sharp drop in accusations. Check out the top history lists on the internet all in one place. There have been many other instances of this kind of phenomenon sincemost recently in an outbreak of alleged evil clown sightings across the continent and beyond in 2016. In June 1692, Governor Phips appointed Stoughton as chief judge and prosecutor in the Salem witch trials despite Stoughtons lack of legal experience. After Governor Phips's wife faced accusations of witchcraft, he outlawed spectral evidence in October 1692. Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. Nineteen were executed by hanging. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were killed during the hysteria. One man, Giles Corey, was killed over three days as increasingly heavier rocks were set atop his body. One of the turning points in ending public support and enthusiasm for the trials was the conviction and execution of one of the towns former minsters, George Burroughs, who publicly recited the Lords Prayer at the gallows, which was believed to be impossible for witches to do. The First Amendment has generally served to protect individuals for opinions that they have expressed, albeit not for violent or illegal conduct. Tituba was not the only one who thought animals were capable of engaging in the devils work. Here are 10 things you need to know about the notorious witch trials. Ever since those dark days ended, the trials have become synonymous with mass hysteria and scapegoating. There was a social divide between the leading families as well as a split between factions that were for and against the villages new pastor, Samuel Parris. Courts relied on three kinds of evidence: 1) confession, 2) testimony of two eyewitnesses to acts of witchcraft, or 3) spectral evidence (when the afflicted girls were having their fits, they would interact with an unseen assailant - the apparition of the witch tormenting them). A crucible is a kind of container used for heating substances at very high temperatures, and the term is often used to describe high pressure situationssuch as the onethe witch trials creates for the accused. An important minister in Boston named Increase Mather was one of these objectors, stating that It were better that ten suspected witches should escape than that one innocent person should be condemned.. Villagers killed that second dog and sent the man fleeing for his life. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 - Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA 8. The death warrant, signed on June 8, 1692, ordered for her death to take place by hanging on Friday, June 10, 1692, between 8 a.m. and noon. Even during the trials, there were many who objected to the whole procedure, even within the religious Puritan community. In three days of vivid testimony, she described encounters with Satans animal familiars and with a tall, dark man from Boston who had called upon her to sign the devils book, in which she saw the names of Good and Osborn along with those of seven others that she could not read. Those people lived in quite a horrific time. Ergot causes hallucinations, convulsive fits, and sometimes death, and LSD derives from the substance. Unlike the stereotype surrounding witchcraft that indicates that it is primarily done by women, the people of Salem did not discriminate on the basis of gender. Even more interesting, the summer of 1692 was a dry one, and coincided with the apparent end of the bewitchments. Upon interrogation, the girls named Tituba (an Indian woman enslaved by the Parris family), Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne as witches. Eventually, the accusations ensnared even the most powerful people in Massachusetts. It was actually the local doctor, likely William Griggs, who first diagnosed the girls as having been bewitched when he couldnt find anything medically wrong with them to explain the strange behavior. Sarah Good also gave birth to a daughter, Mercy, while in custody. Maybe theres another reason that people still find themselves intrigued with the Salem witchcraft trials, besides the possibility of sorcery or the specter of mass delusions convulsing into violence. She crafted a tale detailing how the devil had come to her and asked her to do his bidding. 12 Most Terrifying Facts About The Salem Witch Trials That You Never Two of the casualties were babies. The Largest Collection Of History Facts On The Internet - List25 Not all of the accused witches who escaped hanging did so through the mercy of the governor. Seventeenth century Salem also gave birth to stories of courageous stands for reason, hopeful births, and acts of clemency and mercy. Some of the families now only remembered for their connection to the trials had actually been important and well-known people before that. Because of Philip Englishs wealth, he was allowed his freedom during the day and could rent rooms in the home of his jailer for himself, his wife, and daughter. Hoffer, who has written extensively on the Salem witch trials, is one of those who believes the girls who accused their neighbors of witchcraft were carrying out a prank. Here are three notable facts about the Salem witch trials: About 42-50 people died being accused of witchcraft over the course of 300 years. There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. The Court of Oyer and Terminer was established in June 1692 because the witch trials were overwhelming the local jails and courts. Despite their obvious Christian commitment, the early American Puritans actually banned Christmas in the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1659, deeming it a sacrilege. The Salem witch trials were also the subject of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, written in the 1950s. By the end of the Salem witch trials, 19 people had been hanged and 5 others had died in custody. A lot was changing in colonial America at the time. Fourteen women and six men were executed for witchcraft, and five others died in prison during the trials. People thought that witches used demons to do magic. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Accessed May 6, 2021. https://famous-trials.com/salem/2078-sal-acct. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. Descendants of the Salem community have made constant efforts to clear the names of those ancestors and relatives who were falsely accused and convicted back in the 1690s, with some being officially recognized as innocent by the Massachusetts government as recently as the beginning of the 21st-century. Looking back with the perspective provided by modern science, some scholars have speculated that the strange behaviour may have resulted from some combination of asthma, encephalitis, Lyme disease, epilepsy, child abuse, delusional psychosis, or convulsive ergotismthe last a disease caused by eating bread or cereal made of rye that has been infected with the fungus ergot, which can elicit vomiting, choking, fits, hallucinations, and the sense of something crawling on ones skin. Even during the trials, there were many who objected to the whole procedure, even within the religious Puritan community. Significantly, those that they began identifying as other witches were no longer just outsiders and outcasts but rather upstanding members of the community, beginning with Rebecca Nurse, a mature woman of some prominence. The witch trials were held in Salem, Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693. Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The Salem witch trials are considered one of Americas most noteworthy cases of mass hysteria. What historians do know is that Abigail Williams was born on July 12, 1680. Fireside Phantoms: Danvers State Mental Hospital & Salem Witch Trials The phrase witch hunt, commonly used to refer to an unjustified or falsely conjured-up prosecution, is thought to originate as a reference to this time period in American history. The Putnams, a prominent family hed borrowed money from, sued Burroughs for unpaid debts and later accused him of witchcraft. A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials - Smithsonian Magazine It was actually the local doctor, likely William Griggs, who first diagnosed the girls as having been bewitched when he couldnt find anything medically wrong with them to explain the strange behavior. He was the first to suggest the girls may be under the evil influence of witchcraft. Accessed May 6, 2021. https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/salem-witch-trial-descendants/. Thanks for your help! The Salem Witch Trials: A legal bibliography - The University of As the most commanding mistress in the French court, she bettered the lives of many and became a beloved figure. In January 1692 Bettys and Abigails increasingly strange behaviour (described by at least one historian as juvenile deliquency) came to include fits. Learn all about secret burials, door to door witch hunters, the touch test, the swimming test, and the witchcraft act that made all of this possible. This caused her to be accused of conspiring on behalf of the witches, and eventually of being a witch herself. Their initial accusations gave way to trials, hysteria, and a frenzy that resulted in further accusations, often between the differing factions. The episode is heavily ingrained in American history and perpetuated through pop culture, but the souls lost and persecuted during that time aren't just present in our literature, media, and popular culture. The girls contorted their bodies into odd positions, made strange noises and spoke gibberish, and seemed to be having fits. The Salem witch trials would mark her second time being accused of being a witch. Witch Trials in the 21st Century - National Geographic Society Salem Witch Hunt begins - HISTORY They found it by following clues in an accused witchs writings and through guesses on where prisoners would be transported.
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