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. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraftthe devil's magic and 20 were executed.. T he infamous Salem witch trials of 1692 and 1693 claimed the lives of 20 people. 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. Ever since those dark days ended, the trials have become synonymous with mass hysteria and scapegoating. 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 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. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, and the event still haunts us today. Around the same time, in Salem Village, village girls accused a man of tormenting a different dog with his evil spirit. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. 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). The First Amendment has generally served to protect individuals for opinions that they have expressed, albeit not for violent or illegal conduct. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. As the trials continued, accusations extended beyond Salem Village to surrounding communities. But not just adult women and men were impacted by the trials. Twenty of those people were executed, most by hanging. He was the first to suggest the girls may be under the evil influence of witchcraft. 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 Witchcraft was considered a crime against the church and the state. The community, beleaguered with hardships already, then overreacted. Looking back with the perspective provided by modern science, some scholars have speculated that the strange behaviour may have resulted from some combination of asthma, encephalitis, Lyme disease, epilepsy, child abuse, delusional psychosis, or convulsive ergotismthe last a disease caused by eating bread or cereal made of rye that has been infected with the fungus ergot, which can elicit vomiting, choking, fits, hallucinations, and the sense of something crawling on ones skin. Even more interesting, the summer of 1692 was a dry one, and coincided with the apparent end of the bewitchments. Witch trials had actually been a fairly common phenomenon in Europe during that period. 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. These included "violent contortions and uncontrollable . They accused several women in their town of being witches. In 1692, when the Salem witch trials began, the United States Constitution did not yet exist. Episode 44 Danvers State Mental Hospital & Salem Witch Trials: Carol checks herself in with the lunatics at the legendary Danvers asylum while Holly confesses to witchcraft on the stand in Salem, Massachusetts. 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. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. Today, witchcraftis recognized by the government as a protected and legitimate religion under the First Amendment. Back in the 17th - century there was a great amount of stress caused by many different things in that era. A lot was changing in colonial America at the time. They were eventually assumed to be possessed. Thanks for your time! In the midst of all this religious and political controversy, there was also a major racial incident. Despite being known as the Salem witch trials, some of the trials actually took place in Ipswich and Andover in addition to Salem itself. Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23,24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, These Jerks Had No Idea Who They Were Messing With, Stabbed In The Back: These Real-Life Betrayals Are Straight Up Brutal, "The Bride Kissed The Best Man" And Other Real-Life Wedding Disasters, Everyone Has A Limit: These Moments Made People Say Enough Is Enough, Bloody Facts About Ivan the Terrible, The Mad Tsar Of Russia. Move over Montagues and Capulets: You might not be the most vengeful families out there. 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. Many citizens believed that they way witches will get you is by baking a cake. Another more disturbing theory proposed by researchers like behavioral psychologist Linnda Caporael suggests that Salem suffered from ergot poisoning. In fact, there was fear in Europe that an entire group of evil witches were consciously attacking Europeans in order to destroy Christendom. The magistrates then had not only a confession but also what they accepted as evidence of the presence of more witches in the community, and hysteria mounted. The grave of Martha Corey, the wife of Giles Corey . 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. They screamed, made odd sounds, threw things, contorted their bodies, and complained of biting and pinching sensations. According to the warrant for her apprehension, she was called for trial on March 23, 1692, under suspicion of witchcraft after being accused by Edward Putnam. From 1671 to 1687, he served on the Counsel of Assistants, a judicial and rule-making body for the colony. Not even ministers could escape. The process of identifying witches began with suspicions or rumours. To identify witches, authorities used the "touching test", in which victims of witchcraft would become calm upon touching the culprit. 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. Norman Rockwell, the famous painter and illustrator who created the cover illustrations for The Saturday Evening Post magazine for nearly five decades, was a descendant of Esther Dutch Elwell, accused of wickedly and feloniously sundry acts of witchcraft upon the body of Mrs. Mary Fiche.. Credit where credit is due! She stayed out for long hours, had people in her home late at night, and hosted drinking and gambling parties frequently. The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between early 1692 and mid-1693. Tituba ultimately survived the saga and was not hanged. For instance, after being accused of witchcraft, Philip and Mary English were held for trial in a Boston jail. How many people were killed during the Salem witch trials? List of People of the Salem Witch Trials. Wikipedia. She crafted a tale detailing how the devil had come to her and asked her to do his bidding. 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? It was shut down on October 29, 1692. But men were accused (and executed) as well. 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. 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. (Salem Witch Trials "History" published on November 4, 2011 and updated on October 5, 2021). The witch trials were held in Salem, Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693. Instead, in 1692, hanging was the preferred form of punishment. Jeff Wallenfeldt, manager of Geography and History, has worked as an editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica since 1992. John Proctors son was born in prison while his wife was imprisoned on witchcraft charges. 10 The Symptoms That Gave Witches Away Make No Sense At All All witches are women, but not every woman is a witch. 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). When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. It is easy to feel like we've long known everything there is to know about it. Before she was hanged for witchcraft, Sarah Good gave birth to a daughter, Mercy Good, while detained. Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. 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. 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. We want our readers to trust us. Animals were the "familiar spirits" of witches. Madame de Pompadour didn't just share King Louis XV's bed, she also shared his power. 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. Kyle Climans has been a published writer since 2011. Rebecca Beatrice Brooks Post author October 25, 2017 at 3:28 pm. In addition, one man was pressed to death by giant stones for refusing to even plea innocent. Today, witchcraftis recognized by the government as a protected and legitimate religion under the First Amendment. You . 4. The next time Giles wanted to attend, Martha objected and prevented him from going. The legacy of the trials has far outlasted their duration, even . Image of The Salem Witch Trials. . 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. Learn about U.S. history, ancient Egypt, the deadliest wars, historical photos, and so much more. The village itself had a noticeable social divide that was exacerbated by a rivalry between its two leading familiesthe well-heeled Porters, who had strong connections with Salem Towns wealthy merchants, and the Putnams, who sought greater autonomy for the village and were the standard-bearers for the less-prosperous farm families. Seven more died in jail. The extraordinary series of events in 1692 led to the deaths of 25 innocent men, women and children. I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. 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. Some three-fourths of those European witch hunts took place in western Germany, the Low Countries, France, northern Italy, and Switzerland. However, witch trials are not a thing of the past. 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. Little is known about Tituba besides her role in the witch trials. One person was even executed for refusing to testify at the hearings. Of them, thirty were found guilty, and nineteen of whom were executed. Life, woman, life is Gods most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it.Arthur Miller, in The Crucible. 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. Ergot causes hallucinations, convulsive fits, and sometimes death, and LSD derives from the substance. There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. This often led to panicked citizens pointing out their innocent neighbors, adding to the rising toll of victims. For everyone who remains intrigued by Salem, here are a few lesser-known facts about the witchcraft trials. 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. 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. So if witchcraft wasnt really happening in Salem, what actually caused those girls to have the fits? Witches were considered to be followers of Satan who had traded their souls for his assistance. When it was all over, 141 suspects, both men and women, were tried as witches. 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. Log in or try Ancestry 14 days free to start finding the survivors, the outspoken, or the ones who did things differently in your family tree. 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.. Seventeenth century Salem also gave birth to stories of courageous stands for reason, hopeful births, and acts of clemency and mercy. My mom never told me how her best friend died. This obviously meant that you must also be a witch. 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. The feud was over the fact that Kazan had named communist sympathizers during his testimony to Congress. Upon interrogation, the girls named Tituba (an Indian woman enslaved by the Parris family), Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne as witches. Now that Tituba had confirmed that satanic work was afootand that there were other witches aroundthere was no stopping until they were all found. 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. Soon after, other girls including Anne Putnam, Jr., 12, and Elizabeth Hubbard, 17, also started showing similar symptoms. 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. So if you celebrate Christmas and live in Massachusetts today, be happy you were born when you were! And the first person executed for witchcraft during the trials was also a woman. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Witches could change from human to animal form or from one human form to another. Tituba: The Slave of Salem. History of Massachusetts Blog, January 2, 2013. https://historyofmassachusetts.org/tituba-the-slave-of-salem/. 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. 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. There was a social divide between the leading families as well as a split between factions that were for and against the villages new pastor, Samuel Parris. Villagers killed that second dog and sent the man fleeing for his life. 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! Another more disturbing theory proposed by researchers like behavioral psychologist Linnda Caporael suggests that Salem suffered from ergot poisoning. Statistical Analysis of the Accused. Salem Witch Trials . His wife, Elizabeth, had been accused of witchcraft and John tried to step in to defend her. Millers famous play about the Salem witch trials is called The Cruciblebut what is a crucible anyway? Eventually, the accusations ensnared even the most powerful people in Massachusetts. Additionally, a man was pressed beneath heavy stones until he died. It was carried out as such by Sheriff George Corwin. 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. Under pressure from the authoritiesand hoping she would get to see her mother if she compliedshe confessed to the claims that Sarah was a witch and Dorothy had been witness to this fact. Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? Philip and Mary English Home, Site Of. Salem Witch Museum. 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. Accessed May 6, 2021. https://salemwitchtrials.com/accusedstats.html. 1032 Words | 5 Pages. In 1702, the court declared the trials unlawful. Spooky stories abound at the Witch House in Salem, Massachusetts. Although Salem Village was at the heart of the witch trials of 1692, the accused were from a couple dozen towns. Many possible answers have been proposed, but one likely explanation is that they were suffering from some kind of natural medical afflictions. Take, Salvador Dali was a man of contradictions. Linder, Douglas O. One person was even executed for refusing to testify at the hearings. Good was imprisoned from March 24, 1692, to December 10, 1692. They were eventually assumed to be possessed. What gave witches away were body marks, such as scars and moles. Here are 12 Salem witch trials facts that will send chills down your spine. 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. 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. The Salem witch trials are considered one of Americas most noteworthy cases of mass hysteria. 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. 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. A total of 25 people died because of the Salem witch trials. Lieutenant Governor William Stoughton served as its chief magistrate and Thomas Newton as the Crowns Prosecuting Attorney. 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 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. Gallows Hill was discovered on a rocky outcropping now located, very unfittingly, near a Walgreens in Salem. One man was pressed to death under heavy stones, the only such state-sanctioned execution of its kind. The next time Giles wanted to attend, Martha objected and prevented him from going. Descargue el archivo de msica MP3 25 disturbing facts about the salem witch trialsa una calidad de audio de 320 kbps. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. But the accusations didnt stop there. As she did when she was accused of bewitching her second husband, Bishop once again claimed innocence during her trial. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, andthe event still haunts us today. Here are 42 wicked facts about the Salem witch trials. By the time it was over, the resulting Salem witch trials had claimed the lives of 20 innocent souls. "Examination of a witch" by Tompkins Harrison Matteson (1853) Even more interesting, the summer of 1692 was a dry one, and coincided with the apparent end of the bewitchments. By the end of the Salem witch trials, 19 people had been hanged and 5 others had died in custody. Here's what we know about the original witch hunt: 1. 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. Dont feel too embarrassed if you happen to be from Massachusetts, you guys were not the first to do something like this. Tituba ultimately survived the saga and was not hanged. For everyone who remains intrigued by Salem, here are a few lesser-known facts about the witchcraft trials. In the process Salem divided into pro- and anti-Parris factions. Ann Putnam, for example, used spectral evidence to accuse Rebecca Nurse,said, I saw the Apperishtion of [Rebecca Nurse] and she did immediatly afflect me. Such evidence was also used against Bridget Bishop, with many men claiming she had visited them in spectral form in the middle of the night. 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. With Abigail Spencer, Matt Lanter, Malcolm Barrett, Paterson Joseph. 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.