Cant wait to visit this place! Here are some of our favorite Salem attractions: Salem Witch Museum Your first stop should be the Salem Witch Museum. Farms were mortgaged or sold, first to pay prison fees, then to pay taxes; frequently they were abandoned. "5 Facts About the Salem Trials." Im trying to get my family to visit there- Id even give up my beach trip for it! 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. Wigington, Patti. Thank you for this amazing article! Found Guilty and Executed:Bridget Bishop (June 10, 1692)Sarah Good (July 19, 1692)Elizabeth Howe (July 19, 1692)Susannah Martin (July 19, 1692)Rebecca Nurse (July 19, 1692)Sarah Wildes (July 19, 1692)George Burroughs (August 19, 1692)Martha Carrier (August 19, 1692)John Willard (August 19, 1692)George Jacobs, Sr (August 19, 1692)John Proctor (August 19, 1692)Alice Parker (September 22, 1692)Mary Parker (September 22, 1692)Ann Pudeator (September 22, 1692)Wilmot Redd (September 22, 1692)Margaret Scott (September 22, 1692)Samuel Wardwell (September 22, 1692)Martha Corey (September 22, 1692)Mary Easty (September 22, 1692), Refused to enter a plea and tortured to death:Giles Corey (September 19th, 1692), Found Guilty and Pardoned:Elizabeth ProctorAbigail Faulkner SrMary PostSarah WardwellElizabeth Johnson JrDorcas Hoar, Pled Guilty and Pardoned:Rebecca EamesAbigail HobbsMary Lacy SrMary Osgood, Died in Prison:Sarah OsburnRoger ToothakerAnn FosterLydia Dustin, Escaped from Prison:John Alden Jr.Edward Bishop Jr.Sarah BishopMary BradburyWilliam Barker Sr.Andrew CarrierKatherine CaryPhillip EnglishMary EnglishEdward Farrington, Never Indicted:Sarah BassettMary BlackBethiah Carter, JrBethiah Carter, SrSarah CloyceElizabeth HartWilliam HobbsThomas Farrer, SrWilliam ProctorSarah ProctorSusannah RootsAnn SearsTituba, Evaded Arrest:George Jacobs JrDaniel Andrews. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. To identify witches, authorities used the "touching test", in which victims of witchcraft would become calm upon touching the culprit. In effect, theSalem Witch Trialswere over. Hi Sarah, Twenty people were put to death in Salem for the crime of witchcraft. One other man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death after refusing to enter a plea, and at least five people . William was happily a Calvinist, but not even that changed the fact New England theocracy was at an end. At the same time, the accused would be denied legal representation. That darn Satan fooled them good. There wasnt really any one document or agreement that ended the trials. Nineteen were hanged, and oneelderly Giles Coreypressed to death. 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. Five more people were hanged in July, one of which was Rebecca Nurse. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. 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. If the accused was indicted, they were not allowed a lawyer and they had to decide to plead guilty or not guilty with no legal counsel to guide them. propably in like 1-3 weeks away. In 1706, afflicted girl Ann Putnam, Jr., also issued a public apology for her role in the Salem Witch Trials, particularly in the case against her neighbor Rebecca Nurse. The Salem witch trials resulted in the arrest of over 150 people, 19 of whom were ultimately convicted and executed. The Salem witch trials began because a group of girls claimed they were possessed by the devil. 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. "Essay IV Against modern Sadducism in the matter of Witches and Apparitions" in Essay on several important subjects in philosophy and religion, 2nd Ed, London; printed for John Baker and H. Mortlock, 1676, pp. They all died on the same day so its hard to pinpoint who you are talking about. 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. This legal tactic was known as peine forte et dure which means strong and harsh punishment.. These sources include official court records as well as several books, diaries and letters written by the various people involved in the trials. Salem Village was populated mostly by poor farmers, and Salem Town was a prosperous port full of middle-class and wealthy merchants. Although she wasnt released, most people were confident she would be found not guilty and released. While Puritanism in New England demanded rigidly defined behaviour (hymns were the only permissible music, while childrens toys were outlawed), the colonys geographical isolation increased the insularity of these communities. Before we get into the interesting facts about Salem and the Witch Trials, let's do a brief history of the Salem Witch Trials. By May 1693 . It has so many details that I need. Dramatic historic events such as witch trials didn't just come out of nowhere. ", What does that mean, in laymans terms? This was no more notable than when playwright Arthur Miller chose to dramatise the trials in his 1953 play The Crucible. 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. https://www.learnreligions.com/facts-about-the-salem-trials-2562897 (accessed March 5, 2023). Often, in movies and television and books, the accusers in the Salem trials are portrayed as angsty teenage girls, but thats not completely true. 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. 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). A total of 19 accused witches were hanged at Proctors Ledge, near Gallows Hill, during the witch trials. (2021, September 9). Hi Indigo, Im assuming you mean eyewitness accounts. It went all the way back to the Salem Witch trials. Next: Spooky Places: 10 Destinations For Fans Of Witches. It's unlikely that anyone in Salem was actually practicing witchcraftmost of the community consisted of devout and pious Christians. And insularity bred paranoia, as Schiff sharply explains. Thanks for sharing, it really helped me with an article I am currently writing! His death was gruesome and cruel and strengthened the growing opposition to the Salem Witch Trials. 1982)]. According to the official Salem website, the trials were shorter than most people believe, but they were still deadly. Ancestry is the easiest way. Went to the library to look for my family history but came across my friends families name. The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. An elderly woman accused of witchcraft is taken to the courthouse by an officer of the law. She is the author of Daily Spellbook for the Good Witch, Wicca Practical Magic and The Daily Spell Journal. 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. In Salem for example, the first significant victim of the witch trials was Tituba, a slave from the Caribbean. The doctor was unable to find anything physically wrong with them and suggested they may be bewitched. 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. The hysteria gripping Salem a settlement resonating with the incessant sound of accusation and counteraccusation showed that no-one was exempt from suspicion. A lot was changing in colonial America at the time. If these individuals had never written these books or helped record the proceedings, we wouldnt know half of what we know about the witch trials. I find this to be very well put and want to read more. I edit the site in general pretty much every day. I love this site! You have been so helpful! I guarantee Im not related to any putnum. The heat was stifling on a July day in 1692, as five dishevelled and bound women are paraded on a wooden cart through the streets of Salem village in the colony of Massachusetts Bay. Salem Village was populated mostly by poor farmers, and Salem Town was a prosperous port full of middle-class and wealthy merchants. A large brick building now stands on this spot with a memorial plaque dedicated to the old jail. . In seventeenth-century New England, pretty much everyone was practicing some form of Christianity. The Puritan way of life was strict, and even small differences in behavior made people suspicious. Was there some sort of compromise at the end? There are many theories that explain why the witch trials began in Medieval Europe. Check them out below. Morrisiana, 1869Jackson, Shirley. Hi Maria, I dont have a version number for this site. The Salem witch trials marked a seven-month period of mass hysteria in 1692 Colonial America. One of them was shot but I dont know how the other one died. There were all kinds of tests to determine whether a woman was a witch. Proctors entire family was accused, including all of his children, his pregnant wife Elizabeth, and sister-in-law. . what is a secondary source in this salem witch trail! Some (incredibly mean) people devoted their time to making a science out of witchcraft. Where did theses trials take place were there anymore places then Massachusetts Bay. Of course, remembering the events of 1692 can still act as a brake when contemporary events take a sinister downturn. These women were Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn and a slave named Tituba who worked for Reverend Samuel Parris. 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. 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. Questions VII & XI. A Brief History of The Salem Witch Trials.Brief History Of The Salem Witch Trials The Salem witch trials took place between 1692 & 1693, in colonial Massachusetts. Ever since those dark days ended, the trials have become synonymous with mass hysteria and scapegoating. 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. Curious to know the Publisher of this article. The Trials Salem had become a hotbed for accusations of witchcraft. The charter was revoked because the colonists had violated several of the charters rules, which included basing laws on religious beliefs and discriminating against Anglicans. Second, everyone got their food from the same place, so symptoms would have occurred in every household, not just a select few. Corey still refused to offer a plea and paid with his life. 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. Get FREE access to HistoryExtra.com. Those who were found guilty were pardoned by Governor Phips. Related: Scary Stories: 10 Places For Stephen King Fans To Visit. Presumptions whereupon persons may be committed, and, much more, convictions whereupon persons may be condemned as guilty of witchcrafts, ought certainly to be more considerable than barely the accused person's being represented by a specter unto the afflicted; inasmuch as it is an undoubted and notorious thing, that a demon may, by God's permission, appear, even to ill purposes, in the shape of an innocent, yea, and a virtuous man.
facts about the salem witch trials