Rather, as Salem archivist and historian Richard Trask observes, they also included "second-hand rumors" and "fits of fancy." See Richard B. Trask, Legal Procedures Used During the Salem Witch Trials and a Brief History of the Published Versions of the Records, in Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt (Bernard Rosenthal ed., 2009). The Start of the Salem Witch Trials. 25 DISTURBING Facts About The Salem Witch Trials 429,208 views Sep 12, 2018 6.3K Dislike Share Save List 25 2.51M subscribers Get ready to pull out your history books as we bring you the most. From 1671 to 1687, he served on the Counsel of Assistants, a judicial and rule-making body for the colony. Despite being known as the Salem witch trials, some of the trials actually took place in Ipswich and Andover in addition to Salem itself. Accessed May 6, 2021. https://salemwitchmuseum.com/locations/philip-and-mary-english-home-site-of/. They found it by following clues in an accused witchs writings and through guesses on where prisoners would be transported. Today, witchcraftis recognized by the government as a protected and legitimate religion under the First Amendment. No clan is left untouched, and even families that seem happy and normal on. The Salem Witch Trials, 1692 17th Century Pocahontas Saves John Smith, 1608 Aboard the Mayflower, 1620 The First Thanksgiving, 1621 The Price of Adultery in Puritan Massachusetts, 1641 Living Among the Mohawks, 1644 The Execution of Charles I, 1649 The Great Fire of London, 1666 Inside the Court of Louis XIV, 1671 New York City, 1679 These included "violent contortions and uncontrollable . The Salem witch trials have gripped American imaginations ever since they occurred in 1692. Between February 1692 and May 1693, colonial Massachusetts was the scene of a mass hysteria sparked by false accusations from several young girls. For everyone who remains intrigued by Salem, here are a few lesser-known facts about the witchcraft trials. So if you are a witch, no need to worry about this ever happening again! (There is uncertainty regarding the relationship between the slaves and their ethnic origins. After weeks of informal hearings, Sir William Phips, governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, interceded to add some formality to the proceedings. Additionally, he is an accomplished scriptwriter, having written the successful AA Meeting series for the stage and the award-winning film Depth of Pyaar. 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. Their initial accusations gave way to trials, hysteria, and a frenzy that resulted in further accusations, often between the differing factions. 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). 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. Almost 150 people were accused of being witches and 20 were killed. I wonder if what the prescription is for that. 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. Miller did not approve of this, and this was one of the things he tried to criticize allegorically through his depiction of the Salem events. Regardless of the cause -- whether it was ergot poisoning, a teen prank, a vendetta against past wrongs, a grab for land or mass hysteria -- the Salem witch trials stand as a . In the midst of all this religious and political controversy, there was also a major racial incident. 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? Ann Putnam testified that Good tried to choke and bite her, a claim that Mary Walcott corroborated. 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. They found it by following clues in an accused witchs writings and through guesses on where prisoners would be transported. Even some members of his congregation at the time wanted to see him dismissed from his pew in response to his aggressive prosecuting role in the episode. (The hallucinogen LSD is a derivative of ergot.) Thomas Maule, a Quaker who found himself at odds with the Puritan community at times, was beaten and imprisoned for speaking out against the trials, despite the fact that he himself believed in witches. Over 150 people were arrested for allegedly using witchcraft to inflict harm on their fellow townspeople, resulting in the executions of 20 people and the prison deaths of five more. Accessed May 6, 2021. https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/salem-witch-trial-descendants/. Several episodes of the original Bewitched TV series were actually filmed on location in Salem. In January 1692, two little girls living in Salem began acting strangely. The Salem trials occurred late in the sequence, after the abatement of the European witch-hunt fervour, which peaked from the 1580s and 90s to the 1630s and 40s. Citizens began to believe that people were practicing witchcraft in their town. the devil's army against the Puritans, probably in an effort to protect herself from certain conviction by serving as an informant. Spooky stories abound at the Witch House in Salem, Massachusetts. The punishment for witchcraft was death. 20 wereexecuted (generally hanged) by the prosecutors, and five died while serving prison time. 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. 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. Miller did not approve of this, and this was one of the things he tried to criticize allegorically through his depiction of the Salem events. 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 Salem Witch Hunt: A Captivating Guide to the Hunt and . Even more interesting, the summer of 1692 was a dry one, and coincided with the apparent end of the bewitchments. It is easy to feel like we've long known everything there is to know about it. Unlike the others who were hanged, this unfortunate fellow was crushed to death by stones. 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! Instead, in 1692, hanging was the preferred form of punishment. Even during the trials, there were many who objected to the whole procedure, even within the religious Puritan community. Omissions? This caused her to be accused of conspiring on behalf of the witches, and eventually of being a witch herself. 9 Things You Might Not Know About the Salem Witch Trials, The world's largest online family history resource - Start now, New England, Salem Witches and Others Tried for Witchcraft, 1647-1697, 6 Unusual Last Names You Wont Believe Exist, The Experience of an Ancestral Home Visit, Discovering African American Heroes in My Family Tree. Tituba ultimately survived the saga and was not hanged. As the weeks passed, many of the accused proved to be enemies of the Putnams, and Putnam family members and in-laws would end up being the accusers in dozens of cases. 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. Bridget Bishop, a woman considered to have questionable morals, was the first to be tried and executed during the Salem witch trials. 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. Take, Salvador Dali was a man of contradictions. One of the most notorious periods of American history, the Salem witch trials of 1692 resulted in the execution by hanging of fourteen women and five men who were accused of being witches during a period of mass hysteria. 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. The Multitude of Salem Witch Trials Descendants. New England Historical Society. But not just adult women and men were impacted by the trials. Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? Additionally, a man was pressed beneath heavy stones until he died. The first accusations during the Salem Witch Trials were against people who were for various reasons marginalized by society. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Dorothy Good, the 4-year-old daughter of the previously accused Sarah Good, was the youngest to be accused of witchcraft. Get ready to pull out your history books as we bring you the most DISTURBING facts about the Salem Witch Trials. Credit where credit is due! Twenty people were put to death in Salem for the crime of witchcraft. Unlike the others who were hanged, this unfortunate fellow was crushed to death by stones. Move over Montagues and Capulets: You might not be the most vengeful families out there. Life, woman, life is Gods most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it.Arthur Miller, in The Crucible. 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. Salem witch trials, (June 1692May 1693), in American history, a series of investigations and persecutions that caused 19 convicted witches to be hanged and many other suspects to be imprisoned in Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (now Danvers, Massachusetts). Not all of the accused witches who escaped hanging did so through the mercy of the governor. When all was said and done, 25 people lost their lives because of the trials. They were also used for identifying witches in Salem, using the Witch Cake test. Some scholars believe that they were of African heritage, while others think that they may have been of Caribbean Native American heritage.). 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. When he stopped being paid altogether, he left Salem. 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. The community, beleaguered with hardships already, then overreacted. 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. Soon after, other girls including Anne Putnam, Jr., 12, and Elizabeth Hubbard, 17, also started showing similar symptoms. We've compiled over 4375 history facts in one place, just for you. His wife, Elizabeth, had been accused of witchcraft and John tried to step in to defend her. The next time Giles wanted to attend, Martha objected and prevented him from going. Many citizens believed that they way witches will get you is by baking a cake. 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). Lieutenant Governor William Stoughton served as its chief magistrate and Thomas Newton as the Crowns Prosecuting Attorney. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. They were eventually assumed to be possessed. 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. The dog was also supposed to then point to the people who had bewitched the victim. The number of trials and executions varied according to time and place, but it is generally believed that some 110,000 persons in total were tried for witchcraft and between 40,000 to 60,000 were executed. Because most of the trials were occurring in Salem . Thomas Maule, a Quaker who found himself at odds with the Puritan community at times, was beaten and imprisoned for speaking out against the trials, despite the fact that he himself believed in witches. Between February 1692 and May 1693 in current day Massachusetts, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft. Interestingly, dogs role did not end here. On March 23, 1692, a warrant was issued for the arrest of four-year-old Dorothy Good of Salem Village on "suspition of acts of Witchcraft.". After months of trials, the governor finally decided to put an end to the trials with the last trials being held in May of 1693. 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. In addition to the twenty people convicted and executed for witchcraft, two dogs were also accused of and executed for the same crime. 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. Many parallels have been drawn between the events of Salem and the tactics used by the government during the Red Scare of the 1950s, in which Senator Joseph McCarthy very harshly interrogated and went after anyone suspected of being a communist sympathizer. 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. 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. The Salem Witch trials occupy a large space in the American imagination. 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. 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. 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. I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. 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. There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. Three presidents William Howard Taft, Chester Arthur, and Gerald Ford have been said to descend from one of Salems executed witches or their siblings. Witches were considered to be followers of Satan who had traded their souls for his assistance. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, and the event still haunts us today. 1032 Words | 5 Pages. 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. He was the first to suggest the girls may be under the evil influence of witchcraft. Upon Governor William Phipss return from England, he realized the need for a new court for the witch trials. 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. Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. In October 1692, a girl in Andover accused a neighbors dog of trying to bewitch her. 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. By the end of the Salem witch trials, 19 people had been hanged and 5 others had died in custody. So if you celebrate Christmas and live in Massachusetts today, be happy you were born when you were! The Salem witch trials are a defining example of intolerance and injustice in American history. It was believed that witches had animal helpers that could take almost any animal form and do their dirty work for them. 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.". 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. 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. This often led to panicked citizens pointing out their innocent neighbors, adding to the rising toll of victims. Apparently they felt that giving gifts took away from ones ability to focus on serious religious thought, and they did not like the pagan origins of some aspects of the holiday. Which, yes, is a little ironic. Image of The Salem Witch Trials. 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. 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. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. She was taken into custody the next day and jailed with her mother, Sarah, who had been accused of the same capital crime three weeks earlier. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. 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. They soon spread to individuals regardless of their gender, class, or power in the community. Interesting Facts about the Salem Witch Trials. One dog was shot after a girl suffering from convulsions accused the dog of trying to bewitch her. Its name comes from the Anglo-French phrase oyer et terminer, which literally translates to hear and determine.. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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. They began in 1692, a full 73 years before the start of the American Revolution and some 40 years before George Washington was even born. No one was burned at the stake in the Salem witch trials. 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. So if you are a witch, no need to worry about this ever happening again! Seven more died in jail. By late February 1692, when traditional medicines and prayers failed to cure the girls, the reverend called upon a local doctor, William Griggs. Spectral evidence was only deemed inadmissible when it was used to accuse Governor William Phipss wife, Mary. 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. In total, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft and more than 150 were arrested. Children were also accused of witchcraft. 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. By the time it was over, the resulting Salem witch trials had claimed the lives of 20 innocent souls. 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. 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! 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. As the trials continued, accusations extended beyond Salem Village to surrounding communities. 02. No other mode of punishment was entertained by the Salem puritans. Parriss orthodox Puritan theology and preaching also divided the congregation, a split that became demonstrably visible when he routinely insisted that nonmembers of the congregation leave before communion was celebrated. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Witch trials had actually been a fairly common phenomenon in Europe during that period. The Salem witch trials would mark her second time being accused of being a witch. 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. 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. On March 1 two magistrates from Salem Town, John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin, went to the village to conduct a public inquiry. The hunts were efforts to identify witches rather than pursuits of individuals who were already thought to be witches. In February, unable to account for their behaviour medically, the local doctor, William Griggs, put the blame on the supernatural. The grave of Martha Corey, the wife of Giles Corey . Sarah Good also gave birth to a daughter, Mercy, while in custody. 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/. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. During the trials, two dogs were killed based on suspicions of witchcraft. One person was even executed for refusing to testify at the hearings. Ever since those dark days ended, the trials have become synonymous with mass hysteria and scapegoating. Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. 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. Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The community, beleaguered with hardships already, then overreacted. Upon interrogation, the girls named Tituba (an Indian woman enslaved by the Parris family), Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne as witches. Her testimony added fuel to the fire, making the witch hunt spiral out of control. Little is known about Tituba besides her role in the witch trials. However, witch trials are not a thing of the past. The most famous witch trial in history happened in Salem, Massachusetts, during the winter and spring of 1692-1693. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at [email protected]. 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. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? 4. 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. 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.. Tituba was not the only one who thought animals were capable of engaging in the devils work. 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. Lynch, Patrick. Salem didn't burn witches at the stake; most of the accused witches were hanged. I wonder if what the prescription is for that. In 1702, the court declared the trials unlawful. For example, the infamous Putnam family had been one of the earliest settler dynasties to come to the Massachusetts Bay colony and establish themselves there. 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 court first convened on June 2, 1692, with Bridget Bishops case being the first to be adjudicated upon. Gallows Hill was discovered on a rocky outcropping now located, very unfittingly, near a Walgreens in Salem. How many people were killed during the Salem witch trials? 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. William Stoughton, who presided over the Salem witch trials, studied theology at Harvard College and Oxford, but never became a minister and chose to enter politics instead. Here are 10 facts about the witch trials that will surely send chills down your spine. What historians do know is that Abigail Williams was born on July 12, 1680. Besides their descendants, the accused witches of Salem leave another legacy: a rich and fascinating history for us to explore today. The largest account of witch trials as well as deaths by witch trials occurred in Salem, a village heavily populated with the Puritans. 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. When it was all over, 141 suspects, both men and women, were tried as witches. List of People of the Salem Witch Trials. Wikipedia. The colony passed a bill in 1711 restoring the rights and good names of those accused and granted 600 restitution to their heirs. The legacy of the trials has far outlasted their duration, even . Parris, whose largely theological studies at Harvard College (now Harvard University) had been interrupted before he could graduate, was in the process of changing careers from business to the ministry. Ergot causes hallucinations, convulsive fits, and sometimes death, and LSD derives from the substance. 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.