Contents
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. More than two hundred people were accused. Thirty were found guilty, nineteen of whom were executed by hanging (fourteen women and five men).
Janet Horne | |
---|---|
Died | june 1727 Dornoch, Scotland |
Cause of death | Burned alive |
Monuments | The Witch’s Stone in Littletown, Dornoch. |
Known for | Last person to be executed legally for witchcraft in the British Isles |
Witch hunts began in the Middle Ages, when the Catholic Church targeted people suspected of consorting with the devil. Among the earliest were the Valais witch trials of 1428, in modern Switzerland, chronicled by a Lucerne city scribe.
Dorothy/Dorcas Good | |
---|---|
Died | Unknown |
Other names | Dorcas Good |
Known for | Youngest accused of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials |
Parent(s) | William Good (father) Sarah Good (mother) |
Salem Witch Trials Last Executions: Sept. 22, 1692 | Time.
Witch-hunts are practiced today throughout the world. While prevalent world-wide, hot-spots of current witch-hunting are India, Papua New Guinea, Amazonia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
A total of 24 innocent people died for their alleged participation in dark magic. Two dogs were even executed due to suspicions of their involvement in witchcraft.
The biggest concern with confessing to being a witch was that it was a sin. Puritans believed that such a confession, even if it wasn’t true, could damn a person’s soul to hell. In addition, puritans believed that lying was a sin as well.
The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693.
Though witchcraft cases in Virginia were less common and the sentences less severe than the more famous witch trials of Salem, in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, evidence exists that about two dozen such trials took place in Virginia between 1626 and 1730. They ranged from civil defamation suits to criminal accusations.
The Witch trials in England were conducted from the 15th century until the 18th century. They are estimated to have resulted in the death of between 500 and 1000 people, 90 percent of whom were women. The witch hunt was as its most intense stage during the civil war and the Puritan era of the mid 17th century.
The definition of a witch hunt is a situation where accusations are made freely, especially against someone or something that is not popular with the majority. An example of a witch hunt is when many women were burned at the stake in Cambridge Massachusetts.
The Crucible is ultimately a fictionalized account of true events. Arthur Miller did significant research to prepare for writing his play; the Salem witch trials really did happen, and the characters in the play—like Abigail and John Proctor—were, for the most part, real people.
The suspicion of witchcraft began in 1692. Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, both young girls, began having fits that involved convulsions, contortions, and uncontrollable screaming. A doctor was called to consult and could find nothing physically wrong with the girls, leading to a diagnosis of bewitchment.
Giles Corey | |
---|---|
The pressing of Giles Corey | |
Born | c. August 1611 Northampton, England |
Died | September 19, 1692 (aged 81) Salem, Province of Massachusetts Bay |
Cause of death | Pressed to Death |
What Happened to the Girls? Most of the accusers in the Salem trials went on to lead fairly normal lives. Betty Parris, Elizabeth Booth, Sarah Churchill, Mary Walcott, and Mercy Lewis eventually married and had families. … Ann Putnam, Jr. , stayed in Salem Village for the rest of her life.
The tradition has long been that the victims of the witch trials were hanged on the summit of Gallows Hill, and their bodies were buried together in a shallow pit at the site, since, as convicted witches, they would not be allowed burial in consecrated ground in the city cemetery.
How did the witch trials affect America? The haphazard fashion in which the Salem witch trials were conducted contributed to changes in U.S. court procedures, including rights to legal representation and cross-examination of accusers as well as the presumption that one is innocent until proven guilty.
An accused witch can escape from execution by accusing another witch. Elizabeth Proctor condemns herself by confessing to witchcraft. Rev. Parris becomes uneasy about the executions when his daughter is condemned.
The Trials were unfair, the Government and the townspeople were corrupt, and they had stress from outer threats surrounding the village. The Salem Witch Trials were unfair. … It was one of the largest witch hunts. During the trials unusual things happened and innocent people were blamed.
The Salem witch trials took place over the course of approximately one year. The initial afflictions of Betty Parris and Abigail Williams began in January of 1692.
It has been estimated that tens of thousands of people were executed for witchcraft in Europe and the American colonies over several hundred years. The exact number is unknown, but modern conservative scholars estimate around 40,000–50,000.
All witches are things that can burn. 2. All things that can burn are made of wood. … Therefore, all witches are made of wood.
Bridget Bishop was indicted again for witchcraft on April 19, 1692, along with Marry Warren, Giles Corey and Abigail Hobbs. <20> She was accused by Mercy Lewis and Ann Putnam. Her examination was held before John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin at the Corwin home.
Bridget Bishop | |
---|---|
Born | Bridget Magnus c. 1632 England |
Died | 10 June 1692 (aged c. 60) Salem, Colony of Massachusetts |
Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
Other names | Wasselbe, Wasselby, Waselby, Wasselbee, Wesselbee, Magnus, Magnes, Hayfer; Goody Oliver, Goody Bishop, Bridget Playfer |
The Witchcraft Act (9 Geo. 2 c. 5) was a law passed by the Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1735 which made it a crime for a person to claim that any human being had magical powers or was guilty of practising witchcraft. With this, the law abolished the hunting and executions of witches in Great Britain.
Related Searches
how were witches killed in salem
salem witch trials victims
what caused the salem witch trials
salem witch trials summary
salem witch trials facts
salem witch trials documentary
salem witch trials timeline
salem witch trials primary sources