Great post, this helped a lot with my Witch Trials report for history class! To identify witches, authorities used the "touching test", in which victims of witchcraft would become calm upon touching the culprit. The best way to get people's attention is to start spreading sensational and fake news. Thank you for making this blog post! It was not difficult for the people of Salem to believe they were involved in witchcraft. Morrisiana, 1869Jackson, Shirley. One of the most popular theories as to what could have caused the mass hysteria of Salem is that of ergot poisoning, but recent scholars have questioned this idea. Here's what we know about the original witch hunt: 1. His grandfather is a Putnam. All rights reserved. In May, as the number of cases grew, Governor William Phips set up a special court, known as the Court of Oyer and Terminer (which translate to hear and determine) to hear the cases. Hi Maria, I dont have a version number for this site. One theory which could explain the apparent madness of the trial and judicial hangings may be found in the bread the settlers were eating. When was this last edited? Get ready to pull out your history books as we bring you the most DISTURBING facts about the Salem Witch Trials. The trials are believed to have been the reason why the US constitution recognizes witchcraft as a legal religion. Massachusetts Only Apologized in 1957 Salem Witch Trials have haunted Salem, now known as Danvers and the entire state of Massachusetts for centuries. We know not whether some remarkable affronts given to the Devils by our disbelieving those testimonies whose whole force and strength is from them alone, may not put a period unto the progress of the dreadful calamity begun upon us, in the accusations of so many persons, whereof some, we hope, are yet clear from the great transgression laid unto their charge. The European witch trials took place in the 15th century. There were the ordinary stresses of 17th-century life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Salem Witch Trials Mass hysteria, social ignorance, and religious intolerance all describe the chaos that took place in Massachusetts during the year 1692. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Although many of the other accused women were unpopular social outcasts, Nurse was a pious, well-respected and well-loved member of the community. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. When Salem Villages new pastor,Reverend Samuel Parris, came to town, he denounced the secular behavior of the innkeepers and blacksmiths and others. Since some of the law enforcement involved in the Salem Witch Trials were being sued by some of the surviving victims, the bill also stated: no sheriff, constable, goaler or other officer shall be liable to any prosecution in the law for anything they then legally did in the execution of their respective offices.. Just pay for a month and go nuts adding records to a tree. If there is anyone has found anymore supporting theories please share. Please be respectful of copyright. The proclamation suggested that there should be: observed a Day of Prayer with Fasting throughout the ProvinceSo that all Gods people may put away that which hath stirred Gods Holy jealousy against his land; that he wouldhelp us wherein we have done amiss to do so no more; and especially that whatever mistakes on either hand have fallen intoreferring to the late tragedy, raised among us by Satan and his instruments, through the awful judgement of God, he would humble us therefore and pardon all the errors and people that desire to love his name. According to USLegal.com, Spectral evidence refers to a witness testimony that the accused person's spirit or spectral shape appeared to him/her witness in a dream at the time the accused person's physical body was at another location. She is the author of Daily Spellbook for the Good Witch, Wicca Practical Magic and The Daily Spell Journal. The preacher sad they could not kill the devil by shooting the dog but did anyway. Thanks! Salem Village began that slow decay which eventually erased its houses and walls, but never its name and memory.. They did so in order to gather the observations of the colonys most senior ministers, to hear their reflections upon the state of things as they then stood. Eventually, after seeming to realize how unfair the trials were to the accused, the court refused to hear any more charges of witchcraft. Are there any other theories as to what may have caused the girls strange behavior? Well, most of the people accused lived in the part of Salem Village that was full of businesses and shops. Most of the accused really had nowhere else to go and many of them didnt have the money to leave even if they wanted to. Legal Legacy of the Salem Witch Trials. According to Plouffe, Jr., the trials were the largest of . Even when the court ordered further executions, Phips wisely issued pardons to those convicted. [State v. Dustin, 122 N.H. 544, 551 (N.H. He was later exonerated. More than 200 people were a.. Read the article free on Booksie. Two days before the court convened, a Puritan minister from Boston named Cotton Mather wrote to one of the judges expressing his concern over the admissibility of such evidence. Luckily ann putnum jr lived to apologize. The Salem witch trials, which resulted in several deaths in 1692 in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts, have never been adequately explained. 6 The Role Of Religion In Witch Trials In January 1692 Salem Village was dealing with a lot. The Carringtons were indicted Feb. 20, 1651, and convicted and executed two weeks later, the only husband and wife to be accused, tried and hanged as witches. He knew the clergy did not fully approve of the witch hunts. I sincerely cant thank you enough! In seventeenth-century New England, pretty much everyone was practicing some form of Christianity. Theres always a lot of discussion in the Pagan community about theso-called Burning Times, which is the term used to describe the witch hunts of early modern Europe. Its pretty hard to show any sort of concrete, tangible evidence that someone is in league with the Devil or fiddling around with spirits. Oh well, live n learn, Its sad when you can pick out names of your relatives in every list. It was last edited on September 8, 2013 at 4:52 pm, Thank you, Rebecca, recently I have been down and this is a paper for a class Im failing, Thank you for helping me get an A, What is the publisher for this website? The pair had been bewitched. With a 1562 act now permitting the death penalty for acts of witchcraft, they were hanged. On September 22, eight people were hanged. "Examination and Evidence of Some Accused Witches in Salem, 1692. Unfortunately, I do not have any information on her family tree but you might want to check out a genealogy site like ancestry.com to find out more. You never know what you will find when you start researching your family tree! Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. since we stared this topic in my 11th grade ap english class i have been very intregted. Bridget Bishop was the first person brought to trial. You have been so helpful! When we think of witches today, we think of girls with crystals and hats who like to listen to Stevie Nicks. Im just going to use Smithsonian, ARe you the editor/author of this site @Rebecca Beatrice Brooks, Hi Gigi, yes Im the editor/author of this site, thanks so much I needed that for my homework, Where can I get a copy of the Salem 1692 map that you posted? im doing a huge assessment in my language arts class called national history day and i love how into detail this went! Here are 10 facts about the witch trials that will surely send chills down your spine. Salem was ruled by English law at the time, which only allowed death by burning to be used against men who committed high treason and only after they had been hanged, quartered and drawn. When asked who it was that had afflicted them, they named Good a homeless woman who had fallen destitute after denying the inheritance of her wealthy fathers estate as one of the three culprits. Finally, many of the symptoms described by witnesses stopped and began again based on external circumstances, and that simply doesnt happen with physiological illness. Smithsonia, 8 Sept. 2013. 135, p. 112, No. (1977). And this was for a people who saw themselves as ordered by God to build their shining City on a Hill. Those who lived nearer to Salem Town engaged in commerce and were seen as a bit more worldly. The doctor was unable to find anything physically wrong with them and suggested they may be bewitched. Often, in movies and television and books, the accusers in the Salem trials are portrayed as angsty teenage girls, but thats not completely true. The state amended the 1957 apology on the exact date i was born. Wigington, Patti. Estimates suggest that over 200 women were executed during this period as a direct result of the investigations of Hopkins and his associates. Warrants were issued by the dozen, sometimes for the arrest of the most unlikely suspects. Those who were found guilty were pardoned by Governor Phips. And particularly, as I was a chief instrument of accusing of Goodwife Nurse and her two sisters, I desire to lie in the dust, and to be humbled for it, in that I was a cause, with others, of so sad a calamity to them and their families; for which cause I desire to lie in the dust, and earnestly beg forgiveness of God, and from all those unto whom I have given just cause of sorrow and offence, whose relations were taken away or accused.. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. A flurry of accusations from girls with afflictions similar to those of Betty Parris and Abigail Williams resulted in an avalanche of arrests and prosecutions. HI there! It also helped with my reading assignment. All witches are women, but not every woman is a witch. The Salem Witch Trials were not a positive section of American history but have been used as a learning tool for the United States. The Salem Witch Trials: Facts & History. The Salem Witch Trials: Facts & History. She was hanged on June 10, 1692 at a place now called Proctors Ledge, which is a small hill near Gallows Hill, making her the first official victim of the witch trials. Upon hearing about the Parris girls behavior, much of the Puritan community agreed that the duo had been victims of witchcraft. Being burned at the stake was an occasionally used method of execution in Europe, when one was convicted of witchcraft, but was generally reserved for those who refused to repent of their sins. We judge that, in the prosecution of these and all such witchcrafts, there is need of a very critical and exquisite caution, lest by too much credulity for things received only upon the Devil's authority, there be a door opened for a long train of miserable consequences, and Satan get an advantage over us; for we should not be ignorant of his devices. Did the Salem Witch Trials have any affect on the way that the American court systems were designed once the United States became a country? Despite its power as a cautionary tale, Salem remains an enigma that continues to fascinate and beguile more than three centuries later. The Salem jail was located at the corner of Federal Street and St. Peter Street. I love this site! At the same time, the accused would be denied legal representation. The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem. A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Institute, 23 Oct. 2007, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/. In mid-January 1692, Elizabeth "Betty" Parris, the 9-year-old daughter of the local Reverend Samuel Parris, and. These women were Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn and a slave named Tituba who worked for Reverend Samuel Parris. Children were also accused of witchcraft. Text adapted from the National Geographic book Witches! Thirteen womenand five men from all stations of life followed her to the gallows onthree successive hanging daysbefore the court was disbanded by Governor William Phipps in October of that year. A fear-ridden society always finds scapegoats. When asked who had done this to them, Betty and Abigail blamed three townswomen, including Tituba, a Native American slave who worked in the Parris household. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. No ones really sure why the witch craze spread the way it did, but it brought lasting changes to the United States legal system and the way evidence and witnesses were treated. There were no clear-cut rules besides that: either they were after women for being single, having too many friends, no friends or being too poor. On October 29, Phips dismissed the Court of Oyer and Terminer. It was divided into two distinct and very different socioeconomic parts. Lienhard says, In recent years, though, the ergot theory has been questioned. They were said to have helped witches and were referred to as their familiars. I think this was a great site and I also recommend the book the witches -salem, 1962 by stacey schiff. History of the Salem Witch Trials. History of Massachusetts Blog, 18 Aug. 2011, historyofmassachusetts.org/the-salem-witch-trials. Salem witch trials. The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Ever since those dark days ended, the trials have become synonymous with mass hysteria and scapegoating. But the particular brand of paranoia that was rife in Salem Village fed by a rivalry with neighbouring Salem Town, ongoing family feuds and attacks by Native Americans developed into mass hysteria. A large brick building now stands on this spot with a memorial plaque dedicated to the old jail. Nige Tassell is a freelance journalist specialising in history, This content first appeared in the January 2016 issue of BBC History Revealed, Save up to 49% AND your choice of gift card worth 10* when you subscribe BBC History Magazine or BBC History Revealed PLUS! It is voluminous and comes in paperback and hardcover. The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology. Here's how they got it done. When the first inquiry is made into the circumstances of such as may lie under the just suspicion of witchcrafts, we could wish that there may be admitted as little as is possible of such noise, company and openness as may too hastily expose them that are examined, and that there may no thing be used as a test for the trial of the suspected, the lawfulness whereof may be doubted among the people of God; but that the directions given by such judicious writers as Perkins and Bernard [be consulted in such a case]. Wigington, Patti. People wanted to protect themselves, so they ratted out their own friends, neighbors or anyone they didn't like. Many modern theories suggest the girls were suffering from epilepsy, boredom, child abuse, mental illness or even a disease brought on by eating rye infected with fungus. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. Bettys alarmed father, the Reverend Parris, immediately called on a doctor to examine the girls. Is there any credence to this theory? thank u. Its entirely possible that much of the blame placed upon Tituba during the trials was based on her racial and social class. Bad weather isn't the only reason why the witch hype began. Patti Wigington is a pagan author, educator, and licensed clergy. If the accused was indicted, they were not allowed a lawyer and they had to decide to plead guilty or not guilty with no legal counsel to guide them. I think that maybe they thought they were bewitched. This helped with my English assignment! Awesome Article. 62, No. Also, In 17th century Massachusetts, people often feared that the Devil was constantly trying to find ways to infiltrate and destroy Christians and their communities. It is pretty sad. We've rounded up some interesting facts about Salem so you can enjoy it from home this season. After Nurses execution on July 19th, the residents of Salem started to seriously question the validity of the trials. They left an 11-year-old son, John Jr . The new court was presided over by William Stoughton, Thomas Danforth, John Richards, Waitstill Winthrop and Samuel Sewall. Now I know it is not only there that it existed. William Ives and George W. Pease, 1857Session Laws. The 190th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2001/Chapter122The 1692 Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Museum, www.salemwitchmuseum.com/education/salem-witch-trialsBlumberg, Jess. Salem witch trial started as feud between Porters n putnums cuz putnums felt Porters gave too much freedom to their black servants. Acts and Resolves, Public and Private, of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, vol. I hope ill get the chance to read it some day! Between 1647 and 1688, 12 women had been sentenced to death for making covenants with the devil. The Salem Village hangings were the last executions of accused witches in the United States. One of the best known of the accused has been the focus of some conjecture regarding whether or not she was practicing folk magic, because she was believed to be a "fortune teller." what was the ratio of men to women. In Salem, they actually didn't do any burning at all. More than 200 people were accused. They hanged the poor souls instead. If these individuals had never written these books or helped record the proceedings, we wouldnt know half of what we know about the witch trials. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom were executed by hanging (14 women and five men). Presided over by Chief Justice William Stoughton, the court was made up of magistrates and jurors. The first case brought before the grand jury was that of Bridget Bishop, a woman around the age of 60 who faced a plethora of accusations: that she could pass through doors and windows without opening them; that she had made holes in the road suddenly open up, into which carts would fall before the holes would instantly disappear; that she had summoned a black pig with the body of a monkey and the feet of a cockerel. Then after said the dog died so it must have been innocent. This was a dark time but it is good to see the court system advance. Pre-trial examinations were held at the Salem Village meetinghouse, in Reverend Samuel Parris house in Salem Village, in Ingersoll Tavern at Salem Village and in Beadles Tavern in Salem Town. Heavy stones were loaded onto the board and the weight was gradually increased until the prison either entered a plea or died. Questions VII & XI. Heinrich Kramer wrote a whole book on why witches should be all exterminated and how to do that. Wigington, Patti. Due to overcrowding in the jails, the accused witches were kept in multiple jails in Salem town, Ipswich and Boston. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Thanks hopefully i get an A :). A strong belief in the devil, factions amongSalem Village familiesand rivalry with nearby Salem Town combined with a recent small pox epidemic and the threat of attack by warring tribes created a fertile ground for fear and suspicion. Native History & Indigenous Acknowledgement, The Journey from 1692 to Salems Modern Witch Community. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. See, the concept of fake news is nothing new. The less-than-thorough procedures of the Salem courtroom also prompted tighter, more rational legal processes that would later be enshrined in the US Constitution.