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. Unlike the others who were hanged, this unfortunate fellow was crushed to death by stones. When all was said and done, 25 people lost their lives because of the trials. However, no one ever embodied the concept of a witch as previously described. It was carried out as such by Sheriff George Corwin. 02. There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. 10 Astonishing And Tragic Facts Of 17th-Century Salem. 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/. 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. 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. Massachusetts formally apologized for the witch trials in 1957something that Chief Magistrate William Stoughton never did. 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. So if you celebrate Christmas and live in Massachusetts today, be happy you were born when you were! His vocal support for his wifewho was also accused of witchcraftand claims that the accusers were lying were among the possible reasons why suspicion fell on him as well. Salem Witch Hunt begins - HISTORY Today, witchcraftis recognized by the government as a protected and legitimate religion under the First Amendment. One person was even executed for refusing to testify at the hearings. 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.. Some of the families now only remembered for their connection to the trials had actually been important and well-known people before that. Upon interrogation, the girls named Tituba (an Indian woman enslaved by the Parris family), Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne as witches. The colony passed a bill in 1711 restoring the rights and good names of those accused and granted 600 restitution to their heirs. 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. 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 These included "violent contortions and uncontrollable . 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. 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. Although most of the accused witches were women, some men were also accused. His wife, Elizabeth, had been accused of witchcraft and John tried to step in to defend her. 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. Ann Putnam testified that Good tried to choke and bite her, a claim that Mary Walcott corroborated. The next time Giles wanted to attend, Martha objected and prevented him from going. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? You . Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. 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. It is not known why Abigail was living with the Parris family but many historians assume her parents . Salem was . Witches could change from human to animal form or from one human form to another. Accessed May 6, 2021. https://famous-trials.com/salem/2078-sal-acct. Directed by Guy Ferland. 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.". 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. By the time it was over, the resulting Salem witch trials had claimed the lives of 20 innocent souls. 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. Spectral evidence refers to the description of harm committed by the specters of the accused, described by those who were bewitched [PDF]. In 1702, the court declared the trials unlawful. Since witches were often shackled in jail . Upon Governor William Phipss return from England, he realized the need for a new court for the witch trials. Two of the casualties were babies. Another executed man was John Proctor, a wealthy farmer who spoke out against the witch trials, particularly after his wife Elizabeth had been arrested for witchcraft. They soon spread to individuals regardless of their gender, class, or power in the community. Witch trials had actually been a fairly common phenomenon in Europe during that period. This evidence was later banned bythe courts, leading to a sharp drop in accusations. Interesting Facts about the Salem Witch Trials. 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. Jeff Wallenfeldt, manager of Geography and History, has worked as an editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica since 1992. 1 Most of the accused were women but men were accusedand executedtoo. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. She stayed out for long hours, had people in her home late at night, and hosted drinking and gambling parties frequently. By late February 1692, when traditional medicines and prayers failed to cure the girls, the reverend called upon a local doctor, William Griggs. Some of the families now only remembered for their connection to the trials had actually been important and well-known people before that. Full List, Photo Credits, and Sources: https://list25.com/25-disturbing-facts-about-the-salem-witch-trialsSUBSCRIBE - http://bit.ly/2uwq6BJCheck out our store: https://teespring.com/stores/list25-swagFollow us on: List25 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/list25List25 Instagram: https://instagram.com/list25/List25 Twitter - https://twitter.com/list25 List25 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/list25/See more Top 25 lists on our website:http://list25.comThe Salem witch trials were BRUTAL, but did you know that a big reason for the craziness surrounding the town was the Salem smallpox outbreak shortly before? 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! 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. Between 1692 and 1693, more than two hundred people were accused. 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. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. They screamed, made odd sounds, threw things, contorted their bodies, and complained of biting and pinching sensations. Ever since those dark days ended, the trials have become synonymous with mass hysteria and scapegoating. By the end of the Salem witch trials, 19 people had been hanged and 5 others had died in custody. Life, woman, life is Gods most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it.Arthur Miller, in The Crucible. The panic and fear over witches hiding amongst the colony began when two young girls, Abigail Williams and Betty Parris, developed strange symptoms including having fits and screaming in pain at mysterious moments. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. The feud was over the fact that Kazan had named communist sympathizers during his testimony to Congress. Another more disturbing theory proposed by researchers like behavioral psychologist Linnda Caporael suggests that Salem suffered from ergot poisoning. 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. Over the following year many trials were held and many people imprisoned. 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! Photo Credit: https://bit.ly/39AhFc2 The panic and fear over witches hiding amongst the colony began when two young girls, Abigail Williams and Betty Parris, developed strange symptoms including having fits and screaming in pain at mysterious moments. 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. Updates? The girls were having a type of epileptic fit and would scream out . Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. 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. 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. The Salem Witch Trials Victims: Who Were They? History of Massachusetts Blog, August 19, 2015. https://historyofmassachusetts.org/salem-witch-trials-victims/. 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. 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. No other mode of punishment was entertained by the Salem puritans. 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. 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. Between February 1692 and May 1693, colonial Massachusetts was the scene of a mass hysteria sparked by false accusations from several young girls. Far more women than men were among the accused, convicted and executed. Besides their descendants, the accused witches of Salem leave another legacy: a rich and fascinating history for us to explore today. 1 Majority Of Victims Were Girls Under Age 20 The Salem witch trials have been studied for centuries, and there is still no clear consensus on what exactly happened. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. 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. 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). 8. (The hallucinogen LSD is a derivative of ergot.) By May 1693 everyone in custody under conviction or suspicion of witchcraft had been pardoned by Phips. 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. One was pressed to death by heavy stones. Image of The Salem Witch Trials. 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. 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. Call them ignorant, call them malicious, the, Life, woman, life is Gods most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it., 20 Brave Facts About the House of Gryffindor, 25 Money-Making Facts About Hollywood Industry, Hero to Zero Facts About Robert Devereux, The Rebellious Earl of Essex. With Abigail Spencer, Matt Lanter, Malcolm Barrett, Paterson Joseph. Tituba eventually confessed to using witchcraft. Even during the trials, there were many who objected to the whole procedure, even within the religious Puritan community. The Salem witch trials are considered one of Americas most noteworthy cases of mass hysteria. 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. Philip and Mary English Home, Site Of. Salem Witch Museum. 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. Salem witch trials, (June 1692-May 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). Ergot causes hallucinations, convulsive fits, and sometimes death, and LSD derives from the substance. 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. 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. 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. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. They were eventually assumed to be possessed. It was shut down on October 29, 1692. 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. They were during the Colonial times. 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 girls contorted their bodies into odd positions, made strange noises and spoke gibberish, and seemed to be having fits. Linder, Douglas O. 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. A total of 25 people died because of the Salem witch trials. It was a time of hysteria, when courts believed in the devil, spectral evidence and teenage girls. Several episodes of the original Bewitched TV series were actually filmed on location in Salem. In addition to the twenty people convicted and executed for witchcraft, two dogs were also accused of and executed for the same crime. 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 10 facts about the witch trials that will surely send chills down your spine. In June 1692, Governor Phips appointed Stoughton as chief judge and prosecutor in the Salem witch trials despite Stoughtons lack of legal experience. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. One of the most famous victims of the trials was a prominent woman in the local community named Martha Corey. Now that Tituba had confirmed that satanic work was afootand that there were other witches aroundthere was no stopping until they were all found. Many citizens believed that they way witches will get you is by baking a cake. 10 The Symptoms That Gave Witches Away Make No Sense At All All witches are women, but not every woman is a witch. The witch trials were held in Salem, Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693. One of the people. 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. The Enemy of My Enemy. Many read Miller's play as a criticism of McCarthyism, the Red Scare, and intolerance. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a dark time in American history. 4. Move over Montagues and Capulets: You might not be the most vengeful families out there. This often led to panicked citizens pointing out their innocent neighbors, adding to the rising toll of victims. The witchcraft trials even targeted animals. The Salem witch trials are considered one of Americas most noteworthy cases of mass hysteria. Her testimony added fuel to the fire, making the witch hunt spiral out of control. However, witch trials are not a thing of the past. 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. Lynch, Patrick. Some of the attitudes in the Salem witch trials are still seen today. 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. After Governor Phips's wife faced accusations of witchcraft, he outlawed spectral evidence in October 1692. 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. In January 1692 Bettys and Abigails increasingly strange behaviour (described by at least one historian as juvenile deliquency) came to include fits. Statistical Analysis of the Accused. Salem Witch Trials . For everyone who remains intrigued by Salem, here are a few lesser-known facts about the witchcraft trials. 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. 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. George Burroughs, the Puritan minister, had nine children before being hanged. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, andthe event still haunts us today. Soon after, other girls including Anne Putnam, Jr., 12, and Elizabeth Hubbard, 17, also started showing similar symptoms. This caused her to be accused of conspiring on behalf of the witches, and eventually of being a witch herself. The most famous witch trial in history happened in Salem, Massachusetts, during the winter and spring of 1692-1693. I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life. Spooky stories abound at the Witch House in Salem, Massachusetts. If you think its all dramatic court rooms and burning at the stake, then you need to see these 25 Disturbing Facts About the Salem Witch Trials! The Salem Witch trials occupy a large space in the American imagination. Witches were considered to be followers of Satan who had traded their souls for his assistance. 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 1942 romantic comedy filmI Married a Witch, starring Veronica Lake and Frederic March, told the story of two witches from Salem placing a revenge curse on the descendants of their accuser. They were also used for identifying witches in Salem, using the Witch Cake test. She went as far as to say that she did not even know what a witch was. He was stripped naked and covered with heavy boards. The collective delusion of witchcraft took more than a year to loosen its grip on Salem and its surrounding towns. 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. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, and the event still haunts us today. The process of identifying witches began with suspicions or rumours. Back in the 17th - century there was a great amount of stress caused by many different things in that era. 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. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. 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. 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. 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. 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. Another reason why it sucked that these trials took place before the Bill of Rights existed? 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. Because most of the trials were occurring in Salem . 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. 1032 Words | 5 Pages. 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. 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. Before she was hanged for witchcraft, Sarah Good gave birth to a daughter, Mercy Good, while detained. Historically, women were the ones to be called witches, and unfortunately, they were also the . This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, andthe event still haunts us today. In response, John found himself accused as well. Little is known about Tituba besides her role in the witch trials. Because he refused to comply with the court, he was given the sentence of being pressed to death. One man was pressed to death under heavy stones, the only such state-sanctioned execution of its kind. Squabbles over property were commonplace, and litigiousness was rampant. 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. Fourteen women and six men were executed for witchcraft, and five others died in prison during the trials. In Salem Massachusetts in 1692 the Salem Witch Trials took place. Pressured by Parris to identify their tormentor, Betty and Abigail claimed to have been bewitched by Tituba and two other marginalized members of the community, neither of whom attended church regularly: Sarah Good, an irascible beggar, and Sarah Osborn (also spelled Osborne), an elderly bed-ridden woman who was scorned for her romantic involvement with an indentured servant. After weeks of informal hearings, Sir William Phips, governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, interceded to add some formality to the proceedings.