Fourteen women and six men were executed for witchcraft, and five others died in prison during the trials. The village itself had a noticeable social divide that was exacerbated by a rivalry between its two leading familiesthe well-heeled Porters, who had strong connections with Salem Towns wealthy merchants, and the Putnams, who sought greater autonomy for the village and were the standard-bearers for the less-prosperous farm families. From the role of Abigail Williams to the invention of witch cakes and the devils mark, get ready to learn all you ever wanted to know (and more) about the dark past of the Salem witch trials. They found it by following clues in an accused witchs writings and through guesses on where prisoners would be transported. Much of the evidence brought agains the witches, at least at first, was called spectral evidence, where people testified to seeing an apparition of the accused trying to inflict harm on them. 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. Despite the Salem witch trials occurring centuries ago, researchers only just found the execution site for the trials in 2016. One particularly disturbing fact about the witch hunt in Salem is that animals could be found guilty of participating in witchcraft as well as humans, and they could be (and were) sentenced to death for it. 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. No other mode of punishment was entertained by the Salem puritans. The hunts were efforts to identify witches rather than pursuits of individuals who were already thought to be witches. He was the first to suggest the girls may be under the evil influence of witchcraft. When it was all over, 141 suspects, both men and women, were tried as witches. After Governor Phips's wife faced accusations of witchcraft, he outlawed spectral evidence in October 1692. Nineteen were executed by hanging. The crisis in Salem, Massachusetts took place partly because the community lived under an ominous cloud of suspicion. Facts Did You Know? Nige Tassell explains how hysteria in the village of Salem, Massachusets, gave rise to a horror that bedazzled the world Published: June 10, 2020 at 4:45 pm Subs offer George Burroughs, the Puritan minister, had nine children before being hanged. Parris had shrewdly negotiated his contract with the congregation, but relatively early in his tenure he sought greater compensation, including ownership of the parsonage, which did not sit well with many members of the congregation. The Salem Witch Hunt: A Captivating Guide to the Hunt and . It was shut down on October 29, 1692. One person was even executed for refusing to testify at the hearings. Thought to have been built in about 1675, it was the residence of Judge Jonathan Corwin, who oversaw many of the witch trials in 1692. Additionally, a man was pressed beneath heavy stones until he died. One of the most famous victims of the trials was a prominent woman in the local community named Martha Corey. Directed by Guy Ferland. Credit where credit is due! 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. Ancestry has made a home for a piece of that history in its online collection, New England, Salem Witches and Others Tried for Witchcraft, 1647-1697. Although it provided no answers, its baking outraged Parris, who saw it as a blasphemous act. But not just adult women and men were impacted by the trials. I wonder if what the prescription is for that. 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. One dog was shot after a girl suffering from convulsions accused the dog of trying to bewitch her. Fourteen women and six men were executed for witchcraft, and five others died in prison during the trials. Tituba ultimately survived the saga and was not hanged. 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. Accessed May 6, 2021. https://famous-trials.com/salem/2035-sal-bphi. In October 1692, a girl in Andover accused a neighbors dog of trying to bewitch her. Now that Tituba had confirmed that satanic work was afootand that there were other witches aroundthere was no stopping until they were all found. When all was said and done, 25 people lost their lives because of the trials. Although Salem Village was at the heart of the witch trials of 1692, the accused were from a couple dozen towns. the devil's army against the Puritans, probably in an effort to protect herself from certain conviction by serving as an informant. Tituba: The Slave of Salem. History of Massachusetts Blog, January 2, 2013. https://historyofmassachusetts.org/tituba-the-slave-of-salem/. They found it by following clues in an accused witchs writings and through guesses on where prisoners would be transported. Perhaps some training in the law would have constrained Stoughtons more extreme actions. Even more interesting, the summer of 1692 was a dry one, and coincided with the apparent end of the bewitchments. For everyone who remains intrigued by Salem, here are a few lesser-known facts about the witchcraft trials. The town of Andover in northeastern Massachusetts, not Salem Village, had the highest number of accused (42 accused in Andover versus 26 accused in Salem Village).However, it was Salem Village where the witch trials were taken to such drastic lengths. So if you are a witch, no need to worry about this ever happening again! Both Good and Osborn protested their own innocence, though Good accused Osborn. 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 While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. They were eventually assumed to be possessed. One man, Giles Corey, was killed over three days as increasingly heavier rocks were set atop his body. But men were accused (and executed) as well. Around the end of WWII, he surprisingly converted, Its said that the customer is always right. Although Massachusetts has given up its fight against witchcraft, there are still places in the world where witchcraft is legitimately feared by the public, sometimes even leading to real modern day witch hunts. The first witch trial occurred because the daughter (Betty Parris) and niece (Abigail Williams) of the local Salem Reverend had become violently ill. 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. In addition to the twenty people convicted and executed for witchcraft, two dogs were also accused of and executed for the same crime. New Hampshire. Omissions? If there is any consolation for some of the condemned witches of Salem, it may come from the fact that their families lived on long after them. Music Credit: Spirit of the Dead by Aakash Gandhi#List25 #Didyouknow #WitchTrials Having an angry witch killing your children made sense. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. Eventually, the accusations ensnared even the most powerful people in Massachusetts. Thanks for your help! In the process Salem divided into pro- and anti-Parris factions. I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. The stars of the Salem story were the Puritan community of the Massachusetts Bay colony, a religious groupthat came over to America to escape religious persecution back in England. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from Life to Compact Cars and Trucks to A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius. Well get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics youre interested in. Because most of the trials were occurring in Salem . At the suggestion of a neighbour, a witch cake (made with the urine of the victims) was baked by Tituba to try to ferret out the supernatural perpetrator of the girls illness. They accused several women in their town of being witches. Back in the 17th - century there was a great amount of stress caused by many different things in that era. Massachusetts formally apologized for the witch trials in 1957something that Chief Magistrate William Stoughton never did. Good was imprisoned from March 24, 1692, to December 10, 1692. The Salem witch trials of the late 17thcentury were a formative episode in Americas early history, and have remained at the forefront of the national consciousness ever since. Unlike the others who were hanged, this unfortunate fellow was crushed to death by stones. Alexander, Mary Jane. Because of the similarity in time period, location, and story, people often mix up the Puritans with the Pilgrims, the group of Dutch settlers who created what we now know as the holiday of Thanksgiving. Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. The feud was over the fact that Kazan had named communist sympathizers during his testimony to Congress. The Salem Witch Trials began in spring 1692 and lasted for seven months, during which more than 150 people where arrested, 19 were hanged and one was tortured to death. 10 The Symptoms That Gave Witches Away Make No Sense At All All witches are women, but not every woman is a witch. Credits: Danvers Lunatic Asylum: CHRONICLES- Danvers State Hospital | Danvers The salem witch trials hysteria of 1692 was caused by the Puritans strict religious standards and intolerance of anything not accepted with their scripture. At the end of the 17th century, after years of mostly resisting witch hunts and witch trial prosecutions, Puritans in New England suddenly found themselves facing a conspiracy of witches in a war against Satan and his minions. Witch trials had actually been a fairly common phenomenon in Europe during that period. Witches could change from human to animal form or from one human form to another. The trials came to an abrupt halt when the Governors wife was accused of witchcraft, causing him to immediately order an end to the trials. 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. One person was even executed for refusing to testify at the hearings. In the late 1600s the Salem Village community in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (now Danvers, Massachusetts) was fairly small and undergoing a period of turmoil with little political guidance. Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. We've compiled over 4375 history facts in one place, just for you. Linder, Douglas O. The haphazard fashion in which the Salem witch trials were conducted contributed to changes in U.S. court procedures, including rights to legal representation and cross-examination of accusers as well as the presumption that one is innocent until proven guilty. For more than 300 years, the complex drama of the 1692 Salem witch trials and its themes of injustice and the frailties of human nature have captivated and fascinated the public imagination. Mid-February- After a month of fasting, prayer, and home remedies, Betty and Abigail have not improved. Tituba ultimately survived the saga and was not hanged. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. According to her death warrant, through her witchcraft, Bishop had caused bodily harm to five women, including Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam, Mercy Lewis, Mary Walcott, and Elizabeth Hubbard. It was a time when Christianity was prominent and no one steered away from the biblical beliefs. Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23,24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, With roles ranging from Miss Congeniality to Gravity, The Heat, and Minions, Sandra Bullock has, "You might belong in Gryffindor / Where dwell the brave at heart / Their daring,, Star-studded premieres, massive advertising campaigns, and big budget blockbusters: The movies are big money. Top 10 Events In History Scarier Than The Salem Witch Trials Subscribe To Most Amazing Top 10: http://bit.ly/2Ibyk6iMost Recent Videos: https://www.youtube.c. It was believed that witches had animal helpers that could take almost any animal form and do their dirty work for them. The events in Salem in 1692 were but one chapter in a long story of witch hunts that began in Europe between 1300 and 1330 and ended in the late 18th century (with the last known execution for witchcraft taking place in Switzerland in 1782). That May release included Elizabeth Proctor, who had been found guilty of witchcraft in August of the previous year and sentenced to death,but had her execution postponed due to pregnancy. Citizens began to believe that people were practicing witchcraft in their town. Ms Mades-Byrd said there were many misconceptions about the Salem witch trials and the truth had been lost in stories told over the centuries. 1 Most of the accused were women but men were accusedand executedtoo. Accessed May 6, 2021. https://salemwitchtrials.com/accusedstats.html. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, and the event still haunts us today. Sir William Phips. Famous Trials. Check out the top history lists on the internet all in one place. Thanks for your time! The community, beleaguered with hardships already, then overreacted. The next time Giles wanted to attend, Martha objected and prevented him from going. Another more disturbing theory proposed by researchers like behavioral psychologist Linnda Caporael suggests that Salem suffered from ergot poisoning. 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. He was stripped naked and covered with heavy boards. While there was no need to provide evidence for accusing someone of witchcraftjust pointing fingers was enoughspectral evidence was often used during the trials. The Salem witch trials marked a seven-month period of mass hysteria in 1692 Colonial America. Probably stimulated by voodoo tales told to them by Tituba, Parriss daughter Betty (age 9), his niece Abigail Williams (age 11), and their friend Ann Putnam, Jr. (about age 12), began indulging in fortune-telling. According to the warrant for her apprehension, she was called for trial on March 23, 1692, under suspicion of witchcraft after being accused by Edward Putnam. The story goes that Corey and her husband, Giles, sat in on the trials early on, causing Martha to express scepticism about the legitimacy of the proceedings. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, and the event still haunts us today. The infant died shortly after her birth, likely due to malnutrition. 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. Tituba, an enslaved person born to a South American indigenous tribe, became the first person accused of witchcraft in Salem after Betty, the daughter of Salems minister, Samuel Parris, began acting erratically. Spectral evidence refers to the description of harm committed by the specters of the accused, described by those who were bewitched [PDF]. She was an enslaved woman believed to have been from Central America, captured as a child from Barbados, and brought to Massachusetts in 1680 by Reverend Parris. In Salem Massachusetts in 1692 the Salem Witch Trials took place. In February, unable to account for their behaviour medically, the local doctor, William Griggs, put the blame on the supernatural. Soon after, other girls including Anne Putnam, Jr., 12, and Elizabeth Hubbard, 17, also started showing similar symptoms. The Salem witch trails reveal about gender and power in the 17 th century in the US is that the roles men expected of women followed a strict guideline. While Wyatt sneaks away from the bunker to face an unbelievable truth, Lucy, Rufus and Flynn chase the Mothership to the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. There is little doubt that some individuals did worship the devil and attempt to practice sorcery with harmful intent. Catherine of Aragon was King Henry VIIIs first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England. And the first person executed for witchcraft during the trials was also a woman. Credit where credit is due! From petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the most ingenious ways. No, it doesnt sound that romantic or comic to me either. Almost 150 people were accused of being witches and 20 were killed. Ergot causes hallucinations, convulsive fits, and sometimes death, and LSD derives from the substance. In January 1692, two little girls living in Salem began acting strangely. 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. In these records you can find the year the accused stood trial, first and last name, town or village where the trial took place, and the outcome of the trial. Witch hunts George Burroughs had been named the village minister in 1680, but many disapproved of his religious views, and he often wasnt paid his salary. Arthur Millers play The Crucible played a large role in popularizing many of the details of the Salem witch trials and dramatizing facts that he uncovered in historical records. It is easy to feel like we've long known everything there is to know about it. One of the most famous victims of the trials was a prominent woman in the local community named Martha Corey. Some of the families now only remembered for their connection to the trials had actually been important and well-known people before that. Witchcraft was considered a crime against the church and the state. This caused her to be accused of conspiring on behalf of the witches, and eventually of being a witch herself. On a Saturday night in mid-October, Dmitry and his friend Misha met up to experience The Haunted Witch Trials, a Halloween attraction in which the Salem Witch Trials were re-imagined into a haunted house type of attraction that took place on a 100-acre plot of land. In fact, there was fear in Europe that an entire group of evil witches were consciously attacking Europeans in order to destroy Christendom. Gallows Hill was discovered on a rocky outcropping now located, very unfittingly, near a Walgreens in Salem. Given the subsequent spread of the strange behaviour to other girls and young women in the community and the timing of its display, however, those physiological and psychological explanations are not very convincing. She crafted a tale detailing how the devil had come to her and asked her to do his bidding. Here's what we know about the original witch hunt: 1. Ann Putnam, for example, used spectral evidence to accuse Rebecca Nurse,said, I saw the Apperishtion of [Rebecca Nurse] and she did immediatly afflect me. Such evidence was also used against Bridget Bishop, with many men claiming she had visited them in spectral form in the middle of the night. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were killed during the hysteria. 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. What historians do know is that Abigail Williams was born on July 12, 1680. (There is uncertainty regarding the relationship between the slaves and their ethnic origins. One exception was Giles Corey, who refused to stand for trialhe believed the court had already decided his fate, and he didn't want his property to be confiscated upon his verdict of being found guilty.