25 disturbing facts about the salem witch trials 25 disturbing facts about the salem witch trials

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. One was pressed to death by heavy stones. The magistrates then had not only a confession but also what they accepted as evidence of the presence of more witches in the community, and hysteria mounted. 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. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. Spectral evidence was only deemed inadmissible when it was used to accuse Governor William Phipss wife, Mary. 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. 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. 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. In 1702, the court declared the trials unlawful. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, and the event still haunts us today. On January 14, 1697five years after the trialsthe General Court ordered a day of fasting and prayers for the tragedy of Salem, stating, That so all God's people may offer up fervent Supplications unto him for ye preservation & prosperity of his Majtys.. Witches have been the origin of many myths and legends. Three presidents William Howard Taft, Chester Arthur, and Gerald Ford have been said to descend from one of Salems executed witches or their siblings. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, andthe event still haunts us today. Besides their descendants, the accused witches of Salem leave another legacy: a rich and fascinating history for us to explore today. T he infamous Salem witch trials of 1692 and 1693 claimed the lives of 20 people. The second slain dog was actually thought to be a victim of witchcraft whose tormentors fled Salem before they could be tried in court. Accessed May 6, 2021. https://famous-trials.com/salem/2035-sal-bphi. No, it doesnt sound that romantic or comic to me either. 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. Well, many workers and service providers will, Being a nurse isnt easy or ordinarybut these nurses had more difficult, and more bizarre,, Sometimes, you hear a story so wild that you heave a sigh of relief when, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex was the darling of Elizabeths old ageuntil he wasnt., Lets face it: Some people are just rude. From Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to Hocus Pocus, Arthur Miller to American Horror Story, American pop culture is saturated in retellings of this horrifying episode in colonial history. Thanks for your help! No one was burned at the stake in the Salem witch trials. The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between early 1692 and mid-1693. Other proof was the touch test, where if a witch who cursed someone touched the cursed person in the midst of a fit, theit fit would stop. Spooky stories abound at the Witch House in Salem, Massachusetts. During 1692, in the city of Salem, a little colony in Massachusetts, US, a horrifying trial started against several neighbors accused of witchcraft. 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). By the end of the Salem witch trials, 19 people had been hanged and 5 others had died in custody. The Salem trials also went on to become a powerful metaphor for the anticommunist hearings led by U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare of the 1950s, famously in the form of Arthur Millers allegorical play The Crucible (1953). Salem Witch Trials: 25 DISTURBING Facts About The Salem Witch Trials | Salem Witch Trial Full Documentary The Geographic Channel | Samuel Parris | Dorothy Good | Familiar | Giles Corey | Salem Witch Trials - Events, Facts & Victims - HISTORY | George Corwin | Haunted Salem - Where Are the Most Haunted Sites? The girls are examined by a . The three convicted individuals received pardons. 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, These Jerks Had No Idea Who They Were Messing With, Stabbed In The Back: These Real-Life Betrayals Are Straight Up Brutal, "The Bride Kissed The Best Man" And Other Real-Life Wedding Disasters, Everyone Has A Limit: These Moments Made People Say Enough Is Enough, Bloody Facts About Ivan the Terrible, The Mad Tsar Of Russia. Due to its association with the supernatural and the haunted, Salem is now a popular destination for Halloween festivities, which run throughout the month of October. Ergot causes hallucinations, convulsive fits, and sometimes death, and LSD derives from the substance. The Salem Witch trials occupy a large space in the American imagination. Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. Even during the trials, there were many who objected to the whole procedure, even within the religious Puritan community. Here are 10 things you need to know about the notorious witch trials. For instance, after being accused of witchcraft, Philip and Mary English were held for trial in a Boston jail. Their initial accusations gave way to trials, hysteria, and a frenzy that resulted in further accusations, often between the differing factions. Large rocks and boulders were then laid on the planks, which slowly crushed him., After Governor Phips put an end to the witch trials, many involved in the proceedings expressed guilt and remorse about the events that occurred, including judge Samuel Sewall and the governor himself. 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. Although it provided no answers, its baking outraged Parris, who saw it as a blasphemous act. In fact, there was fear in Europe that an entire group of evil witches were consciously attacking Europeans in order to destroy Christendom. He brought to Salem Village his wife, their three children, a niece, and two slaves who were originally from BarbadosJohn Indian, a man, and Tituba, a woman. He was stripped naked and covered with heavy boards. Lieutenant Governor William Stoughton served as its chief magistrate and Thomas Newton as the Crowns Prosecuting Attorney. Citizens began to believe that people were practicing witchcraft in their town. Gallows Hill was discovered on a rocky outcropping now located, very unfittingly, near a Walgreens in Salem. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? Even during the trials, there were many who objected to the whole procedure, even within the religious Puritan community. While Miller maintained that he kept everything historically accurate, some have noted that he made changes to the real record for the sake of the play. In Salem Massachusetts in 1692 the Salem Witch Trials took place. Even more interesting, the summer of 1692 was a dry one, and coincided with the apparent end of the bewitchments. The madness of the witch trials eventually resulted in 200 people accused of witchcraft, 140 to 150 arrests for witchcraft, and the hangings of thirteen women and six men. Accessed May 6, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_of_the_Salem_witch_trials. This is the event that Salem is most known for, in only three months' time 19 innocent people, 14 women and 5 men, were hanged, and one man was pressed to death. What gave witches away were body marks, such as scars and moles. In addition to the twenty people convicted and executed for witchcraft, two dogs were also accused of and executed for the same crime. Tituba eventually confessed to using witchcraft. The best revenge might be living well, but that doesn't mean we can always turn the other cheek. Spectral evidence refers to the description of harm committed by the specters of the accused, described by those who were bewitched [PDF]. If a dog was fed a cake made with rye and the urine of an afflicted person, and it displayed the same symptoms as the victim, it indicated the presence of witchcraft. Villagers shot the dog immediately. One of the people. Due to its association with the supernatural and the haunted, Salem is now a popular destination for Halloween festivities, which run throughout the month of October. From 1671 to 1687, he served on the Counsel of Assistants, a judicial and rule-making body for the colony. The Salem Witch Trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 was most defiantly a time when one could attribute "moral panic" to the deaths of 20 people who were hung for being what society deemed as witches. The Start of the Salem Witch Trials. Now that Tituba had confirmed that satanic work was afootand that there were other witches aroundthere was no stopping until they were all found. 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. Tituba: The Slave of Salem. History of Massachusetts Blog, January 2, 2013. https://historyofmassachusetts.org/tituba-the-slave-of-salem/. A complicated and long-lasting feud between the Putnam and Porter families of Salem may have been a motivating factor in some of the witchcraft accusations. Its sad to think that all of the trials and the numerous deaths could have been caused by ergot poisoning, and no one in the town had any idea. 10 Astonishing And Tragic Facts Of 17th-Century Salem. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. 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 May of 1693, Phips released from prison all remaining accused or convicted witches. Salem didn't burn witches at the stake; most of the accused witches were hanged. One person was even executed for refusing to testify at the hearings. Fourteen women and six men were executed for witchcraft, and five others died in prison during the trials. This evidence was later banned bythe courts, leading to a sharp drop in accusations. A complicated and long-lasting feud between the Putnam and Porter families of Salem may have been a motivating factor in some of the witchcraft accusations. After her second husband died, Bishopwho had been married three timeswas accused of bewitching him to death, though she was later acquitted due to a lack of evidence. To identify witches, authorities used the "touching test", in which victims of witchcraft would become calm upon touching the culprit. One man, Giles Corey, was killed over three days as increasingly heavier rocks were set atop his body. Learn about the Salem witch trials and their legacy. It was shut down on October 29, 1692. But the accusations didnt stop there. 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 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 No other mode of punishment was entertained by the Salem puritans. Here are 10 facts about the witch trials that will surely send chills down your spine. Just when did the Salem witch trials take place in the timeline of American history? Witch trials had actually been a fairly common phenomenon in Europe during that period. In mid-January 1692, Elizabeth Betty Parris, the 9-year-old daughter of the local Reverend Samuel Parris, and Abigail Williams, the reverends 11-year-old niece, became the first to be diagnosed with being afflicted by witchcraft. Having an angry witch killing your children made sense. Two of the casualties were babies. The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local. The Salem Witch Trials Victims: Who Were They? History of Massachusetts Blog, August 19, 2015. https://historyofmassachusetts.org/salem-witch-trials-victims/. Ann Putnam testified that Good tried to choke and bite her, a claim that Mary Walcott corroborated. Villagers killed that second dog and sent the man fleeing for his life. This period of witch trials later came to be known as the Salem witch trials, named after the town of Salem and Salem Village (present-day Danvers). The witch trials were held in Salem, Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693. It was believed that they employed demons to accomplish magical deeds, that they changed from human to animal form or from one human form to another, that animals acted as their familiar spirits, and that they rode through the air at night to secret meetings and orgies. Another famous incident from the trials was the case of John Proctor. 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. The salem witch trials hysteria of 1692 was caused by the Puritans strict religious standards and intolerance of anything not accepted with their scripture. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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 witchcraft trials, which began in May of 1692 after months of rumors of Satanic influence, still grip the American imagination more than 300 years later. Family History Proves Bewitching to Descendants of Salem Witches : Colonial America: Three Presidents, Clara Barton, Walt Disney, Joan Kennedy and One Unborn Child Are among Those Whose Ancestors Were Accused of Consorting with the Devil 300 Years Ago. Los Angeles Times. The Salem witch trials are a defining example of intolerance and injustice in American history. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. Omissions? New Hampshire. So if you celebrate Christmas and live in Massachusetts today, be happy you were born when you were! Make sure to leave us a comment after you watch this video to tell us what you learned and what video youd like to see next! Arthur Miller, the famous playwright who authored Death of a Salesman, responded to the McCarthy hysteria by writing The Crucible, a play about the Salem witch trials, as a metaphor for what the country was going through in the 1950s. Tituba ultimately survived the saga and was not hanged. Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. Upon Governor William Phipss return from England, he realized the need for a new court for the witch trials. Here are 42 wicked facts about the Salem witch trials. Accusations followed, often escalating to convictions and executions. Linder, Douglas O. Sir William Phips. Famous Trials. One of the most famous victims of the trials was a prominent woman in the local community named Martha Corey. The Evil Justice William Stoughton Was the Ultimate Hanging Judge at the Salem Witch Trials and Heres Why. HistoryCollection.com, January 29, 2018. https://historycollection.com/william-stoughton-ultimate-hanging-judge-salem-witch-trials/. Life, woman, life is Gods most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it.Arthur Miller, in The Crucible. The Salem Witch Hunt: A Captivating Guide to the Hunt and . The Enemy of My Enemy. Gallows Hill was discovered on a rocky outcropping now located, very unfittingly, near a Walgreens in Salem. Abigail Williams and Betty Parris, the two girls at the very center of the trials, made sure to use every trick in the book to accuse others in the town, leading to people not only being tested, but also pressed to death! It is not known why Abigail was living with the Parris family but many historians assume her parents . Here are 12 Salem witch trials facts that will send chills down your spine. Move over Montagues and Capulets: You might not be the most vengeful families out there. His sixth great grandson was Walt Disney. The court first convened on June 2, 1692, with Bridget Bishops case being the first to be adjudicated upon. Both Good and Osborn protested their own innocence, though Good accused Osborn. 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. The hunts were efforts to identify witches rather than pursuits of individuals who were already thought to be witches. 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. Were always looking for your input! 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. Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams, the 9-year-old daughter and 11-year-old niece of Reverend Parris, started having "fits" described as: "severe convulsions and other strange symptoms.". People thought that witches used demons to do magic. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. 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. They soon spread to individuals regardless of their gender, class, or power in the community. Learn about U.S. history, ancient Egypt, the deadliest wars, historical photos, and so much more. Norman Rockwell, the famous painter and illustrator who created the cover illustrations for The Saturday Evening Post magazine for nearly five decades, was a descendant of Esther Dutch Elwell, accused of wickedly and feloniously sundry acts of witchcraft upon the body of Mrs. Mary Fiche.. In response, John found himself accused as well. Descargue el archivo de msica MP3 25 disturbing facts about the salem witch trialsa una calidad de audio de 320 kbps. List three facts about each and three opinions. The colony passed a bill in 1711 restoring the rights and good names of those accused and granted 600 restitution to their heirs. Burroughs was brought back to Salem, tried, and executed. 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. By late February 1692, when traditional medicines and prayers failed to cure the girls, the reverend called upon a local doctor, William Griggs. The Salem witch trials were also the subject of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, written in the 1950s. A lot was changing in colonial America at the time. Los Angeles Times, August 29, 1993. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-29-mn-29128-story.html. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Alexander, Mary Jane. He attempted to save himself by writing to clergy in Boston that mass hysteria had taken over the village, but they acted too slowly to save him: He was executed on August 19, 1692. Unlike the others who were hanged, this unfortunate fellow was crushed to death by stones. My mom never told me how her best friend died. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, and the event still haunts us today. I wonder if what the prescription is for that. Some of the families now only remembered for their connection to the trials had actually been important and well-known people before that. Witch hunts Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. He was the first to suggest the girls may be under the evil influence of witchcraft. The process of identifying witches began with suspicions or rumours. Of the 20 people executed during the trials, six of them were men: Giles Corey, George Burroughs, George Jacobs Sr., John Proctor, John Willard, and Samuel Wardwell Sr. John Proctor was the first man accused of witchcraft. For those who are unaware, Salem is located in Massachusetts, which, as you might remember from history class, was New Englands first established colony dating back to the arrival of the Pilgrims of the Mayflower at Plymouth in 1620. 8. They were eventually assumed to be possessed. As the most commanding mistress in the French court, she bettered the lives of many and became a beloved figure. Perhaps some training in the law would have constrained Stoughtons more extreme actions. In total, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft and more than 150 were arrested. Tituba initially denied the claim that she was a witch, but notoriously later decided to confess that it was true and accused two other women as well in the process. She crafted a tale detailing how the devil had come to her and asked her to do his bidding. 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. Life, woman, life is Gods most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it.. The crisis in Salem, Massachusetts took place partly because the community lived under an ominous cloud of suspicion. The 1692 Salem witch trials are a big blot on American history. 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. There is little doubt that some individuals did worship the devil and attempt to practice sorcery with harmful intent. Although Salem Village was at the heart of the witch trials of 1692, the accused were from a couple dozen towns. 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. Salem was . It was believed that witches had animal helpers that could take almost any animal form and do their dirty work for them. 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. The punishment for witchcraft was death. 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. 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. 10 The Symptoms That Gave Witches Away Make No Sense At All All witches are women, but not every woman is a witch. Log in or try Ancestry 14 days free to start finding the survivors, the outspoken, or the ones who did things differently in your family tree. 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. Not that Salem didnt have its problems to begin with, but the community never fully recovered from the witch trials saga, and the divisions and setbacks to the towns development continued in the years following the trials. The Salem Witch Trials, the events of 1692 in Salem Village which resulted in 185 accused of witchcraft, 156 formally charged, 47 confessions, and 19 executed by hanging, remain one of the most studied phenomena in colonial American history. How Rye Bread May Have Caused the Salem Witch Trials, Order in the Court: 10 Trials of the Century, https://www.britannica.com/event/Salem-witch-trials, Bill of Rights Institute - The Salem Witch Trials, World History Encyclopedia - Salem Witch Trials, Salem Witch Trials - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Salem witch trials - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Giles had actually been accused and found guilty of murdering one of his farm hands years earlier, but was let off with just a fine! Bishop was known to rebel against the puritanical values of that time. 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. For everyone who remains intrigued by Salem, here are a few lesser-known facts about the witchcraft trials. 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. Interesting Facts about the Salem Witch Trials. She went as far as to say that she did not even know what a witch was. In late May 1692, Sir William Phips, the first royal governor of Massachusetts established the criminal court to conduct the Salem witch 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. 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 most terrifying part, perhaps, was that anyone could be accused of engaging in witchcraft, and there was little they could do to defend themselves.