Tituba was not the only one who thought animals were capable of engaging in the devils work. In Salem Massachusetts in 1692 the Salem Witch Trials took place. Courts relied on three kinds of evidence: 1) confession, 2) testimony of two eyewitnesses to acts of witchcraft, or 3) spectral evidence (when the afflicted girls were having their fits, they would interact with an unseen assailant - the apparition of the witch tormenting them). 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. 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. Now that Tituba had confirmed that satanic work was afootand that there were other witches aroundthere was no stopping until they were all found. In total, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft and more than 150 were arrested. 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. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. (The hallucinogen LSD is a derivative of ergot.) She stayed out for long hours, had people in her home late at night, and hosted drinking and gambling parties frequently. No, it doesnt sound that romantic or comic to me either. In October 1692, a girl in Andover accused a neighbors dog of trying to bewitch her. 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. However, after the dogs death, the local Minister reasoned that if the devil had possessed the dog, it would not have been so easily killed with a bullet. 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. In 1692, when the Salem witch trials began, the United States Constitution did not yet exist. 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. They thought that when witches baked cakes, that they were casting a spell in it. One of the people. The governor pardoned the rest of the accused witches and they were released from jail. Two of the casualties were babies. Having an angry witch killing your children made sense. Tituba ultimately survived the saga and was not hanged. 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. Linder, Douglas O. It was a time when Christianity was prominent and no one steered away from the biblical beliefs. They were eventually assumed to be possessed. Between February 1692 and May 1693 in current day Massachusetts, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft. They found it by following clues in an accused witchs writings and through guesses on where prisoners would be transported. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. At the time of the Salem Witch Trials, Abigail was living with her uncle, Reverend Samuel Parris, his daughter Betty Parris and Parris' slaves Tituba and John Indian. Here are 12 Salem witch trials facts that will send chills down your spine. 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. 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. The Salem Witch Trials Victims: Who Were They? History of Massachusetts Blog, August 19, 2015. https://historyofmassachusetts.org/salem-witch-trials-victims/. 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. 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. The episode is heavily ingrained in American history and perpetuated through pop culture, but the souls lost and persecuted during that time aren't just present in our literature, media, and popular culture. But the accusations didnt stop there. There were complex political, religious, and racial issues under the crisis. Here are 10 facts about the witch trials that will surely send chills down your spine. At the suggestion of a neighbour, a witch cake (made with the urine of the victims) was baked by Tituba to try to ferret out the supernatural perpetrator of the girls illness. Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? Facts: -"At the time of these events Parris was in his middle forties." -"They did not celebrate Christmas, and a holiday from work meant only that they must concentrate even more upon prayer." -"The edge of the wilderness was close by. In these records you can find the year the accused stood trial, first and last name, town or village where the trial took place, and the outcome of the trial. The first accusations during the Salem Witch Trials were against people who were for various reasons marginalized by society. Accusations followed, often escalating to convictions and executions. George Burroughs, the Puritan minister, had nine children before being hanged. 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. Parris had shrewdly negotiated his contract with the congregation, but relatively early in his tenure he sought greater compensation, including ownership of the parsonage, which did not sit well with many members of the congregation. Twenty people were put to death in Salem for the crime of witchcraft. A total of 25 people died because of the Salem witch trials. The second slain dog was actually thought to be a victim of witchcraft whose tormentors fled Salem before they could be tried in court. The Start of the Salem Witch Trials. 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! The hunts were efforts to identify witches rather than pursuits of individuals who were already thought to be witches. Kyle Climans has been a published writer since 2011. 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. 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. Two of the casualties were babies. After her second husband died, Bishopwho had been married three timeswas accused of bewitching him to death, though she was later acquitted due to a lack of evidence. Take, Salvador Dali was a man of contradictions. The Court of Oyer and Terminer was established in June 1692 because the witch trials were overwhelming the local jails and courts. He was the first to suggest the girls may be under the evil influence of witchcraft. 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. 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. Archivo de msica 25 disturbing facts about the salem witch trials, 25 disturbing facts about the salem witch trialssubido hace 4 aospor List 25. The story goes that Corey and her husband, Giles, sat in on the trials early on, causing Martha to express scepticism about the legitimacy of the proceedings. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, andthe event still haunts us today. The Salem witch trials were also the subject of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, written in the 1950s. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. 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. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraftthe devil's magic and 20 were executed.. So if you are a witch, no need to worry about this ever happening again! 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. Because he refused to comply with the court, he was given the sentence of being pressed to death. For more than 300 years, the complex drama of the 1692 Salem witch trials and its themes of injustice and the frailties of human nature have captivated and fascinated the public imagination. 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. So if witchcraft wasnt really happening in Salem, what actually caused those girls to have the fits? Another famous incident from the trials was the case of John Proctor. At the end of the 17th century, after years of mostly resisting witch hunts and witch trial prosecutions, Puritans in New England suddenly found themselves facing a conspiracy of witches in a war against Satan and his minions. As the most commanding mistress in the French court, she bettered the lives of many and became a beloved figure. 9 Things You Might Not Know About the Salem Witch Trials, The world's largest online family history resource - Start now, New England, Salem Witches and Others Tried for Witchcraft, 1647-1697, 6 Unusual Last Names You Wont Believe Exist, The Experience of an Ancestral Home Visit, Discovering African American Heroes in My Family Tree. 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. The best revenge might be living well, but that doesn't mean we can always turn the other cheek. 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. Upon interrogation, the girls named Tituba (an Indian woman enslaved by the Parris family), Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne as witches. But by October 1692, his wife Mary found herself the target of sorcery accusations. Regardless of the cause -- whether it was ergot poisoning, a teen prank, a vendetta against past wrongs, a grab for land or mass hysteria -- the Salem witch trials stand as a . 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. In June 1692, Governor Phips appointed Stoughton as chief judge and prosecutor in the Salem witch trials despite Stoughtons lack of legal experience. From 1671 to 1687, he served on the Counsel of Assistants, a judicial and rule-making body for the colony. Credit where credit is due! Despite their obvious Christian commitment, the early American Puritans actually banned Christmas in the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1659, deeming it a sacrilege. These included "violent contortions and uncontrollable . 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. 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 grave of Martha Corey, the wife of Giles Corey . One exception was Giles Corey, who refused to stand for trialhe believed the court had already decided his fate, and he didn't want his property to be confiscated upon his verdict of being found guilty. Little is known about Tituba besides her role in the witch trials. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. "Examination of a witch" by Tompkins Harrison Matteson (1853) Credits: Danvers Lunatic Asylum: CHRONICLES- Danvers State Hospital | Danvers 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. 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. To identify witches, authorities used the "touching test", in which victims of witchcraft would become calm upon touching the culprit. 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. In the midst of all this religious and political controversy, there was also a major racial incident. 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.. This obviously meant that you must also be a witch. He was stripped naked and covered with heavy boards. Lets just, The Crucible (1996), Twentieth Century Fox, Salem (20142017), 20th Century Fox Television, I Married a Witch (1942), Paramount Pictures, The Truth Always Comes Out: Dark Family Secrets Exposed, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress, Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs First Wife, Festive Facts About Bing Crosby, The King Of Christmas, Stormy Facts About Sammy Davis Jr., The Worlds Greatest Entertainer, Sorrowful Facts About Alma Rubens, The Silent Film Siren, Daring Facts About Gina Lollobrigida, Golden Hollywoods Last Survivor. The infant died shortly after her birth, likely due to malnutrition. 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. In May of 1693, Phips released from prison all remaining accused or convicted witches. 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. 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). Facts Did You Know? Despite the horrible and senseless loss of life and community divisions that the witch trials caused, some historians believe that the traumatic incident had a silver lining. My mom never told me how her best friend died. The Salem Witch Trials were a series of trial that took place in 1692, when it was believed "witches" were casting spells on people in the village of Salem. By the end of the Salem witch trials, 19 people had been hanged and 5 others had died in custody. In 1702, the court declared the trials unlawful. From unbelievable witch swimming tests to the role of Salem smallpox in the trials, this list will bring you every crazy witch trial fact that you never knew existed! 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. The Salem Witch Hunt: A Captivating Guide to the Hunt and . Apparently they felt that giving gifts took away from ones ability to focus on serious religious thought, and they did not like the pagan origins of some aspects of the holiday. 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. One man was pressed to death under heavy stones, the only such state-sanctioned execution of its kind. The first witch trial occurred because the daughter (Betty Parris) and niece (Abigail Williams) of the local Salem Reverend had become violently ill. This series of prosecutions and hangings of those accused of practicing witchcraft provoked a major backlash, andthe event still haunts us today. Another executed man was John Proctor, a wealthy farmer who spoke out against the witch trials, particularly after his wife Elizabeth had been arrested for witchcraft. We want our readers to trust us. Just when did the Salem witch trials take place in the timeline of American history? (Salem Witch Trials "History" published on November 4, 2011 and updated on October 5, 2021). 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.. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. In January 1692 Bettys and Abigails increasingly strange behaviour (described by at least one historian as juvenile deliquency) came to include fits. No clan is left untouched, and even families that seem happy and normal on. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Many citizens believed that they way witches will get you is by baking a cake. Interesting Facts about the Salem Witch Trials. 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.
