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. After Governor Phips's wife faced accusations of witchcraft, he outlawed spectral evidence in October 1692. 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. Another reason why it sucked that these trials took place before the Bill of Rights existed? Did you know this unbelievable witch trial fact: dogs were also major targets of the trials? All Rights Reserved. Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. The Salem witch trials have gripped American imaginations ever since they occurred in 1692. Accessed May 6, 2021. https://salemwitchtrials.com/accusedstats.html. They accused several women in their town of being witches. SALEM WITCH TRIALS CHRONOLOGY. Gallows Hill was discovered on a rocky outcropping now located, very unfittingly, near a Walgreens in Salem. William Phips. Wikipedia. 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. After some young girls of the village (two of them relatives of Parris) started demonstrating strange behaviours and fits, they were urged to identify the person who had bewitched them. One of the most famous victims of the trials was a prominent woman in the local community named Martha Corey. The girls contorted their bodies into odd positions, made strange noises and spoke gibberish, and seemed to be having fits. No other mode of punishment was entertained by the Salem puritans. His diagnosis of bewitchment put into motion the forces that would ultimately result in the hanging deaths of 19 men and women. 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). 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! Around the end of WWII, he surprisingly converted, Its said that the customer is always right. Statistical Analysis of the Accused. Salem Witch Trials . Seven more died in jail. 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. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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 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. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, andthe event still haunts us today. Of them, thirty were found guilty, and nineteen of whom were executed. One of the people. The litany of odd behaviour also mirrored that of the children of a Boston family who in 1688 were believed to have been bewitched, a description of which had been provided by Congregational minister Cotton Mather in his book Memorable Providences, Relating to Witchcraft and Possessions (1689) and which may have been known by the girls in Salem Village. 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. Witchcraft was considered a crime against the church and the state. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. The witchcraft trials even targeted animals. Credits: Danvers Lunatic Asylum: CHRONICLES- Danvers State Hospital | Danvers Because he refused to comply with the court, he was given the sentence of being pressed to death. Madame de Pompadour didn't just share King Louis XV's bed, she also shared his power. 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. When all was said and done, 25 people lost their lives because of the trials. Salem was . They thought that when witches baked cakes, that they were casting a spell in it. Linder, Douglas O. Even more interesting, the summer of 1692 was a dry one, and coincided with the apparent end of the bewitchments. 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. Accusations followed, often escalating to convictions and executions. 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. "Examination of a witch" by Tompkins Harrison Matteson (1853) 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. Sir William Phips. Famous Trials. 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. Accessed May 6, 2021. https://famous-trials.com/salem/2078-sal-acct. On August 21, 1692, aided by two Boston ministers, Philip and Mary fled for New York, forfeiting a 4,000 bond and leaving their daughter in the care of a friend. Lynch, Patrick. No clan is left untouched, and even families that seem happy and normal on. Upon Governor William Phipss return from England, he realized the need for a new court for the witch trials. 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. The best revenge might be living well, but that doesn't mean we can always turn the other cheek. In 1692, when the Salem witch trials began, the United States Constitution did not yet exist. 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. Gallows Hill was discovered on a rocky outcropping now located, very unfittingly, near a Walgreens in Salem. 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. Before she was hanged for witchcraft, Sarah Good gave birth to a daughter, Mercy Good, while detained. 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. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. . Here are 42 wicked facts about the Salem witch trials. Animals in the Salem Witch Trials. History of Massachusetts Blog, February 20, 2012. https://historyofmassachusetts.org/animals-in-the-salem-witch-trials/. 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. 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. Accessed May 6, 2021. https://famous-trials.com/salem/2035-sal-bphi. 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. 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. 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. The girls were having a type of epileptic fit and would scream out . What is the legacy of the Salem witch trials? 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. 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. 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. In fact, there was fear in Europe that an entire group of evil witches were consciously attacking Europeans in order to destroy Christendom. One person was even executed for refusing to testify at the hearings. 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. Two of the casualties were babies. Move over Montagues and Capulets: You might not be the most vengeful families out there. Another famous incident from the trials was the case of John Proctor. During the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, more than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft. 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. Witches were considered to be followers of Satan who had traded their souls for his assistance. 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. His wife, Elizabeth, had been accused of witchcraft and John tried to step in to defend her. 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. Spectral evidence refers to the description of harm committed by the specters of the accused, described by those who were bewitched [PDF]. Eventually, the accusations ensnared even the most powerful people in Massachusetts. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraftthe devil's magic and 20 were executed.. 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.. 8. By late February 1692, when traditional medicines and prayers failed to cure the girls, the reverend called upon a local doctor, William Griggs. Twenty of those people were executed, most by hanging. Here are 10 things you need to know about the notorious witch 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. 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. 10 Astonishing And Tragic Facts Of 17th-Century Salem. Let those stories inspire you to start your family history research today. To identify witches, authorities used the "touching test", in which victims of witchcraft would become calm upon touching the culprit. 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 extraordinary series of events in 1692 led to the deaths of 25 innocent men, women and children. Nineteen were executed by hanging. 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? (There is uncertainty regarding the relationship between the slaves and their ethnic origins. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? She went as far as to say that she did not even know what a witch was. Both Good and Osborn protested their own innocence, though Good accused Osborn. 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. 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. The crisis in Salem, Massachusetts took place partly because the community lived under an ominous cloud of suspicion. Despite being known as the Salem witch trials, some of the trials actually took place in Ipswich and Andover in addition to Salem itself. Twenty people were put to death in Salem for the crime of witchcraft. Interestingly, dogs role did not end here. Directed by Guy Ferland. Image of The Salem Witch Trials. 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! Although it provided no answers, its baking outraged Parris, who saw it as a blasphemous act. In October 1692, a girl in Andover accused a neighbors dog of trying to bewitch her. 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 colony passed a bill in 1711 restoring the rights and good names of those accused and granted 600 restitution to their heirs. Witches could change from human to animal form or from one human form to another. Despite being known as the Salem witch trials, some of the trials actually took place in Ipswich and Andover in addition to Salem itself. 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. Omissions? But the accusations didnt stop there. 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. 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! What gave witches away were body marks, such as scars and moles. 1 Most of the accused were women but men were accusedand executedtoo. It was a time of hysteria, when courts believed in the devil, spectral evidence and teenage girls. Between February 1692 and May 1693 in current day Massachusetts, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft. The Enemy of My Enemy. 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. They were eventually assumed to be possessed. The court first convened on June 2, 1692, with Bridget Bishops case being the first to be adjudicated upon. In addition to the twenty people convicted and executed for witchcraft, two dogs were also accused of and executed for the same crime. One of the most popular points of view was that if you were against the trials, then you were, in fact, an advocate for the witches. Here are 42 wicked facts about the Salem witch trials. Just when did the Salem witch trials take place in the timeline of American history? 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.. The dog was also supposed to then point to the people who had bewitched the victim. 20 wereexecuted (generally hanged) by the prosecutors, and five died while serving prison time. 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. She stayed out for long hours, had people in her home late at night, and hosted drinking and gambling parties frequently. 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. 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. Jeff Wallenfeldt, manager of Geography and History, has worked as an editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica since 1992. The Multitude of Salem Witch Trials Descendants. New England Historical Society. 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. Even during the trials, there were many who objected to the whole procedure, even within the religious Puritan community. List three facts about each and three opinions. After Governor Phipss wife was accused, he again interceded and ordered that a new court be established that would not allow so-called spectral evidence. She added a hog, a great black dog, a red rat, a black rat, and a yellow bird, among other animals, to her storys cast. Salem Witch Trials of 1692. In 1692, when the Salem witch trials began, the United States Constitution did not yet exist. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. Witches were people who followed Satan and traded their souls for his help. The Start of the Salem Witch Trials. The death warrant, signed on June 8, 1692, ordered for her death to take place by hanging on Friday, June 10, 1692, between 8 a.m. and noon. 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 next time Giles wanted to attend, Martha objected and prevented him from going. Tituba: The Slave of Salem. History of Massachusetts Blog, January 2, 2013. https://historyofmassachusetts.org/tituba-the-slave-of-salem/. The girls are examined by a . The collective delusion of witchcraft took more than a year to loosen its grip on Salem and its surrounding towns. These included "violent contortions and uncontrollable . 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 contribute@factinate.com. Over the following year many trials were held and many people imprisoned. Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. 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 Salem witch trials marked a seven-month period of mass hysteria in 1692 Colonial America. Updates? 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). Today, witchcraftis recognized by the government as a protected and legitimate religion under the First Amendment. 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. Soon, others were accused and the courtrooms filled with people believed to be witches. 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. Nineteen were hanged, and one-elderly Giles Corey-pressed to death. When he stopped being paid altogether, he left Salem. Bridget Bishop, a woman considered to have questionable morals, was the first to be tried and executed during the Salem witch trials. Upon interrogation, the girls named Tituba (an Indian woman enslaved by the Parris family), Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne as witches. One of the people who perished in prison was only an infant. 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. Besides their descendants, the accused witches of Salem leave another legacy: a rich and fascinating history for us to explore today. His wife, Elizabeth, had been accused of witchcraft and John tried to step in to defend her. Ergot causes hallucinations, convulsive fits, and sometimes death, and LSD derives from the substance. The origins of the Salem witch trials are long and complex, but we do our best to break down the most disturbing information about this task. In the midst of all this religious and political controversy, there was also a major racial incident. Although Salem Village was at the heart of the witch trials of 1692, the accused were from a couple dozen towns. Ever since those dark days ended, the trials have become synonymous with mass hysteria and scapegoating. Between 1692 and 1693, more than two hundred people were accused. 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. Most importantly, Stoughton allowed spectral evidence during the trials, so that an accuser could claim that an accused witch had appeared to them in a vision or hurt them within a dream. The Witchcraft Trials in Salem: An Account. Famous Trials. Perhaps some training in the law would have constrained Stoughtons more extreme actions. This obviously meant that you must also be a witch. 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. They are fascinating as well as scary. Despite their obvious Christian commitment, the early American Puritans actually banned Christmas in the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1659, deeming it a sacrilege. A period of less than a year caused such turmoil that Salem, Massachusetts, is still widely known for the trials. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were killed during the hysteria. 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. 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. Kyle Climans has been a published writer since 2011. 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. He was stripped naked and covered with heavy boards. The second slain dog was actually thought to be a victim of witchcraft whose tormentors fled Salem before they could be tried in court. For instance, after being accused of witchcraft, Philip and Mary English were held for trial in a Boston jail. 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. One of the most famous victims of the trials was a prominent woman in the local community named Martha Corey. The grave of Martha Corey, the wife of Giles Corey . 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. Take, Salvador Dali was a man of contradictions. When you think of the Salem witch trials, you probably think of a bunch of confused villagers who didnt know any better, but there is so much more to the story. They soon spread to individuals regardless of their gender, class, or power in the community. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. Another more disturbing theory proposed by researchers like behavioral psychologist Linnda Caporael suggests that Salem suffered from ergot poisoning. 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). Facts Did You Know? For everyone who remains intrigued by Salem, here are a few lesser-known facts about the witchcraft trials. The process of identifying witches began with suspicions or rumours. It was a time when Christianity was prominent and no one steered away from the biblical beliefs. 02. 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. January 1692- Reverend Samuel Parris of Salem Village's daughter, 9-year-old Elizabeth "Betty" Parris, falls ill, soon followed by his 11-year-old niece, Abigail Williams.