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. 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.. Mid-February- After a month of fasting, prayer, and home remedies, Betty and Abigail have not improved. (The hallucinogen LSD is a derivative of ergot.) Unfortunately for Bishop, that allegation of witchcraft would not be her last. Witch trials had actually been a fairly common phenomenon in Europe during that period. The Salem Witch Trials, the events of 1692 in Salem Village which resulted in 185 accused of witchcraft, 156 formally charged, 47 confessions, and 19 executed by hanging, remain one of the most studied phenomena in colonial American history. The Putnams, a prominent family hed borrowed money from, sued Burroughs for unpaid debts and later accused him of witchcraft. This evidence was later banned bythe courts, leading to a sharp drop in accusations. 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? From the role of Abigail Williams to the invention of witch cakes and the devils mark, get ready to learn all you ever wanted to know (and more) about the dark past of the Salem witch trials. For everyone who remains intrigued by Salem, here are a few lesser-known facts about the witchcraft trials. The Salem Witch Trials begin. On a Saturday night in mid-October, Dmitry and his friend Misha met up to experience The Haunted Witch Trials, a Halloween attraction in which the Salem Witch Trials were re-imagined into a haunted house type of attraction that took place on a 100-acre plot of land. The late comedian Lucille Ball is a descendant of Rachel Vinson, who was acquitted in the witch trials. 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. This caused her to be accused of conspiring on behalf of the witches, and eventually of being a witch herself. But not just adult women and men were impacted by the trials. Thanks for your time! Nige Tassell explains how hysteria in the village of Salem, Massachusets, gave rise to a horror that bedazzled the world Published: June 10, 2020 at 4:45 pm Subs offer George Burroughs, the Puritan minister, had nine children before being hanged. The community, beleaguered with hardships already, then overreacted. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. Many citizens believed that they way witches will get you is by baking a cake. Part of the escalation of theSalem trials included investigators literally going door to door and asking homeowners to rat out any suspected witches in their midst. Lieutenant Governor William Stoughton served as its chief magistrate and Thomas Newton as the Crowns Prosecuting Attorney. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. She crafted a tale detailing how the devil had come to her and asked her to do his bidding. The community, beleaguered with hardships already, then overreacted. In June 1692, Governor Phips appointed Stoughton as chief judge and prosecutor in the Salem witch trials despite Stoughtons lack of legal experience. Dont feel too embarrassed if you happen to be from Massachusetts, you guys were not the first to do something like this. Citizens began to believe that people were practicing witchcraft in their town. It was carried out as such by Sheriff George Corwin. All Rights Reserved. They screamed, made odd sounds, threw things, contorted their bodies, and complained of biting and pinching sensations. Hoffer, who has written extensively on the Salem witch trials, is one of those who believes the girls who accused their neighbors of witchcraft were carrying out a prank. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Although Salem Village was at the heart of the witch trials of 1692, the accused were from a couple dozen towns. List three facts about each and three opinions. As the most commanding mistress in the French court, she bettered the lives of many and became a beloved figure. John Proctors son was born in prison while his wife was imprisoned on witchcraft charges. 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.". This often led to panicked citizens pointing out their innocent neighbors, adding to the rising toll of victims. Life, woman, life is Gods most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it.Arthur Miller, in The Crucible. Before she was hanged for witchcraft, Sarah Good gave birth to a daughter, Mercy Good, while detained. 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. In addition to the twenty people convicted and executed for witchcraft, two dogs were also accused of and executed for the same crime. What gave witches away were body marks, such as scars and moles. 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. The Salem witch trials marked a seven-month period of mass hysteria in 1692 Colonial America. Part of the escalation of theSalem trials included investigators literally going door to door and asking homeowners to rat out any suspected witches in their midst. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 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. They are fascinating as well as scary. In 1692, when the Salem witch trials began, the United States Constitution did not yet exist. Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. Many read Miller's play as a criticism of McCarthyism, the Red Scare, and intolerance. In mid-January 1692, Elizabeth Betty Parris, the 9-year-old daughter of the local Reverend Samuel Parris, and Abigail Williams, the reverends 11-year-old niece, became the first to be diagnosed with being afflicted by witchcraft. 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. In total, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft and more than 150 were arrested. 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. Here are three notable facts about the Salem witch trials: About 42-50 people died being accused of witchcraft over the course of 300 years. George Burroughs had been named the village minister in 1680, but many disapproved of his religious views, and he often wasnt paid his salary. Take, Salvador Dali was a man of contradictions. 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. 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. 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. Here are 10 facts about the witch trials that will surely send chills down your spine. 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. Their initial accusations gave way to trials, hysteria, and a frenzy that resulted in further accusations, often between the differing factions. The dog was also supposed to then point to the people who had bewitched the victim. The Enemy of My Enemy. One dog was shot after a girl suffering from convulsions accused the dog of trying to bewitch her. 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. Bridget Bishop, a woman considered to have questionable morals, was the first to be tried and executed during the Salem witch trials. 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. Another reason why it sucked that these trials took place before the Bill of Rights existed? Other girls and young women began experiencing fits, among them Ann Putnam, Jr.; her mother; her cousin, Mary Walcott; and the Putnamss servant, Mercy Lewis. 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. Despite the Salem witch trials occurring centuries ago, researchers only just found the execution site for the trials in 2016. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Probably stimulated by voodoo tales told to them by Tituba, Parriss daughter Betty (age 9), his niece Abigail Williams (age 11), and their friend Ann Putnam, Jr. (about age 12), began indulging in fortune-telling. In fact, the first people accused of bewitching Betty were all women: Tituba, a beggar named Sarah Good, and Sarah Osbourne, an older woman who had not attended church for a year. The witch trials were held in Salem, Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693. This obviously meant that you must also be a witch. 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. The witchcraft trials even targeted animals. Move over Montagues and Capulets: You might not be the most vengeful families out there. While Miller maintained that he kept everything historically accurate, some have noted that he made changes to the real record for the sake of the play. When you think of the Salem witch trials, you probably think of a bunch of confused villagers who didnt know any better, but there is so much more to the story. Even more interesting, the summer of 1692 was a dry one, and coincided with the apparent end of the bewitchments. The 1692 Salem witch trials are a big blot on American history. A lot was changing in colonial America at the time. A crucible is a kind of container used for heating substances at very high temperatures, and the term is often used to describe high pressure situationssuch as the onethe witch trials creates for the accused. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraftthe devil's magic and 20 were executed.. 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. It was a time of hysteria, when courts believed in the devil, spectral evidence and teenage girls. During the trials, two dogs were killed based on suspicions of witchcraft. 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. So if you celebrate Christmas and live in Massachusetts today, be happy you were born when you were! Ever since those dark days ended, the trials have become synonymous with mass hysteria and scapegoating. Animals in the Salem Witch Trials. History of Massachusetts Blog, February 20, 2012. https://historyofmassachusetts.org/animals-in-the-salem-witch-trials/. Tituba ultimately survived the saga and was not hanged. Learn about the Salem witch trials and their legacy. Here are 12 Salem witch trials facts that will send chills down your spine. It was actually the local doctor, likely William Griggs, who first diagnosed the girls as having been bewitched when he couldnt find anything medically wrong with them to explain the strange behavior. Additionally, he is an accomplished scriptwriter, having written the successful AA Meeting series for the stage and the award-winning film Depth of Pyaar. A total of 25 people died because of the Salem witch trials. Well, many workers and service providers will, Being a nurse isnt easy or ordinarybut these nurses had more difficult, and more bizarre,, Sometimes, you hear a story so wild that you heave a sigh of relief when, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex was the darling of Elizabeths old ageuntil he wasnt., Lets face it: Some people are just rude. Fourteen women and six men were executed for witchcraft, and five others died in prison during the trials. Despite being known as the Salem witch trials, some of the trials actually took place in Ipswich and Andover in addition to Salem itself. They were eventually assumed to be possessed. They accused several women in their town of being witches. 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.