There are many theories that explain why the witch trials began in Medieval Europe. It disgusts me but at the same time interests me, and makes me want to learn more. The new court released those awaiting trial and pardoned those awaiting execution. There were complex political, religious, and racial issues under the crisis. In Germany alone, thousands of women died horrible deaths. The trials are believed to have been the reason why the US constitution recognizes witchcraft as a legal religion. The Salem Witch Trials offered a salutary lesson not only to the colony of Massachusetts Bay but also to the new nation that would be forged in the following century. Thank you so much, this was also, by far, the best site ive come across for salem trials. Salem Village was populated mostly by poor farmers, and Salem Town was a prosperous port full of middle-class and wealthy merchants. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. For everyone who remains intrigued by Salem, here are a few lesser-known facts about the witchcraft trials. Is this a homework question? The exact cause of the Salem Witch Trials is unknown but they were probably a number of causes. Indeed, as Stacy Schiff explains in The Witches, her history of the witch trials, It would have been difficult to find more than a few souls to whom the supernatural was not eminently real, part and parcel of the culture, as was the devil himself. A secondary source would be a book, journal or article written long after the event by someone who didnt experience it first hand. 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. In January 1692 Salem Village was dealing with a lot. Do you have a version number for this site? Web. As chief justice, Stoughton believed that spectral evidence presented to the court that is, evidence gathered from dreams and visions would form a central plank of the prosecutions. The clergy later held a meeting, on August 1, to discuss the trials but were not able to help Proctor before his execution. I just found this out. 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. 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. North Wind Picture Archives, Alamy Stock Photo. The other two accused women, Sarah Good and Sarah Osbourne, werent well liked by the community either. Morrisiana, 1869Jackson, Shirley. She is the author of Daily Spellbook for the Good Witch, Wicca Practical Magic and The Daily Spell Journal. How did this conflict impact the trials? Its good to see that the court system has progressed. Sarah Wildes was my 8th great grandmother. Thank you, using this as a source! You can unsubscribe at any time. Corbis/VCG via Getty Images / Getty Images. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraftthe devil's magic and 20 were executed . They were said to have helped witches and were referred to as their familiars. In Salem for example, the first significant victim of the witch trials was Tituba, a slave from the Caribbean. The preacher sad they could not kill the devil by shooting the dog but did anyway. When she is not traveling, you will find her reading, drinking coffee and chatting away with her many international friends. By the end of the trials in 1693, 24 people had died, some in jail but most by hanging. Around the end of September, the use of spectral evidence was finally declared inadmissible, thus marking the beginning of the end of the Salem Witch Trials. This legal tactic was known as peine forte et dure which means strong and harsh punishment.. Related: The 10 Best Witch Things To Do In Salem. One of them, George Burroughs, protested his innocence as the noose was readied. Bad weather isn't the only reason why the witch hype began. A newer, more anti-religious charter replaced the original one in 1691 and also combined the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony and several other colonies into one. 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. She was released from jail shortly after the hangings began, and was never tried or convicted. It was divided into two distinct and very different socioeconomic parts. When James II, unspeakably Catholic, became the titular head of the Church of England (itself considered evil), it was proof that the mother country had come under diabolical control When James II created the Dominion of New England, ordering the New England theocracy to allow the C of E inside, it was the end of their holy mission in the wilderness. Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. Here's how they got it done. 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. Proctors wife managed to escape execution because she was pregnant, but Proctor was hanged on August 19 along with five other people. Tituba was known to have played fortune-telling games, which were strictly forbidden by the Puritans. We also have kept good records of everything. Note: it is expensive. Luckily ann putnum jr lived to apologize. 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. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. . Ten of The Most Interesting Facts About The Salem Witch Trials A witness testifies against an accused witch during one of the many witchcraft trials of the 1690s. The two communities were three hours apart, by foot, which was the most common method of transportation at the time. On 2 June, the specially convened Court of Oyer and Terminer (oyer meaning to hear, terminer meaning to decide) sat for the first time, presided over by William Stoughton, the newly appointed lieutenant governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Fresh witchcraft cases continued to come before the new Superior Court of Judicature that, while again presided over by William Stoughton, was ordered not to accept spectral evidence. Not many people fled Salem, only a handful did, because Salem was their home and had been for a long time. On October 29, Phips dismissed the Court of Oyer and Terminer. The Salem Witch Trials. We've rounded up some interesting facts about Salem so you can enjoy it from home this season. What are 5 facts about the Salem Witch Trials? - Wise-Answer Has their been any further studies into the ergot theory besides the collage student in the early 70s? It was viewed as a sin against God, the church, and the Crown, and thus was treated as a crime. These five women Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin, Rebecca Nurse and Sarah Wildes were the among the first to be tried and found guilty of witchcraft during a bleak nine-month period of New England history simply recalled as the Salem Witch Trials. I think this was a great site and I also recommend the book the witches -salem, 1962 by stacey schiff. Good and Osbourne insisted they were innocent. He is recorded to have recited a prayer uttered with such composedness from many, so that it seemed to some that the spectators would hinder the execution. Ergot is a fungus found in bread, and has the same effect as hallucinogenic drugs. 135, no. It is sad where the mind-set was back then. It was not difficult for the people of Salem to believe they were involved in witchcraft. this helped a lot on my social studies project. The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. Explore 17th-century Salem in the museum's 13 stage sets that bring the witch trials to life. Giles Corey, the husband of Martha Corey, refused to enter a plea and was subjected to a particularly gruesome form of torture where the accused is crushed under heavy stones until they either respond or die a tactic known as peine forte et dure, (until he either answered or died). Sources:Upham, Charles W. Salem Witchcraft: With an Account of Salem Village and a History of Opinions on Witchcraft. 10 Spine-Chilling & Captivating Facts About Salem, Massachusetts A man of God literally planned out a witch genocide. Mather saw the war against Satan as being just as important as the war against the French and the local Native American tribes. There were many critics of the witch hunt, such as a local farmer John Proctor, who scoffed at the idea of witchcraft in Salem and called the young girls scam artists. Here are 10 facts about the witch trials that will surely send chills down your spine. Let me know if you are related to story too. Learn Religions, Sep. 9, 2021, learnreligions.com/facts-about-the-salem-trials-2562897. "5 Facts About the Salem Trials." 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. In 1813, the wooden structure of the jail was remodeled into a Victorian home and in 1956 the home was razed. The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schnauzer. i would like to know more about the salem witch trials. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. The hysterical behaviour was an unconscious outlet for rebellion, a release valve for the pressure that the threat of eternal damnation put them under. Well, Sharis, the Salem Witch Trials are quite complicated and cant be accurately summed up in a short article. Although spectral evidence, evidence based on dreams and visions, wasnt the only evidence used in court during the Salem Witch Trails, it was the most common evidence and the easiest evidence for accusers to fake. I need to do a bibliography, and I have this page on it. It's unlikely that anyone in Salem was actually practicing witchcraftmost of the community consisted of devout and pious Christians. Bridget Bishop was convicted at the end of her trial and sentenced to death. "The Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Legal History". http://www.easybib.com/cite/view. Kisses and xoxo All witches are women, but not every woman is a witch. It also helped with my reading assignment. I wonder how many people ran away from The Salem Witch Trials. See, the concept of fake news is nothing new. Afflicted Girls:Elizabeth BoothElizabeth HubbardMercy LewisBetty ParrisAnn Putnam, Jr.Susannah SheldonAbigail WilliamsMary WalcottMary Warren. This is like the only website i found most helpful on Salem Witch Trial. Spanos and Gottlieb argue. 1. Glanvill, Joseph. The Salem witch trials were a series of prosecutions in which over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft. Which brings us to. At the announcement ceremony, playwright Arthur Miller made a speech and read from the last act of his 1953 play, The Crucible, which was inspired by the Salem Witch Trials. It seems like an easier thing to do than just sit there and be accused. 6 The Role Of Religion In Witch Trials As the trials and executions continued, colonists began to doubt that so many people could actually be guilty of this crime. Hi Indigo, Im assuming you mean eyewitness accounts. Salem Witch Trials Of 1692 | Landmarks, Events, & More 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. Why do you think there are so little primary sources on the Salem Witch Trials? It went all the way back to the Salem Witch trials. Thanks so much for this! As a devout and strongly religious community living in near isolation in the mysterious New World, the community of Salem had a heightened sense of fear of the Devil and, as a result, it didnt take much to convince the villagers that there was evil among them. Salem was . The first of the girls to start experiencing symptoms was Betty Parris, followed by Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam Jr., Mary Walcott and Mercy Lewis. Judge Stoughton asked the jury to reconsider their verdict. this helped me sooo much. The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica. The persecutors had to come up with a whole irrational legal system in order to justify this insanity. By the end of May, more than 60 people were in custody; the vast majority were women, but a handful of men were also detained. Just as true today as it was a few centuries ago, fearmongering really accelerated the accusations. In pre-echoes of what would later occur in Salem, panic took hold of the local community, with accusations flying in all directions.