who were the main people in the salem witch trials

Who were the main people in the salem witch trials?

• Bridget Bishop. Bridget Bishop was the first person to be executed during the Salem witchcraft trials. …
• George Burroughs. George Burroughs was the only Puritan minister indicted and executed in Salem in 1692. …
• Martha Carrier. …
• Giles Corey. …
• Martha Cory. …
• Mary Easty.

Full Answer

Why were some people accused in the Salem witch trials?

The main accusers were a group of girls and young women from Salem Village who are often referred to as the “afflicted girls” because they claimed that witches were afflicting them by attacking them and making them ill. They accused the majority of the victims in the trials.

Who were the key people in the Salem witch trials?

The legal proceedings of the Salem Witch Trials began with the arrest of three women on March 1, 1692: Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osbourne. After Tituba’s arrest, she was examined and tortured before confessing to the crime on March 5, 1692.

How many people were accused during the Salem witch trials?

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).

Who was accused in the Salem witch trials?

Timothy Swan was a 29-year-old man from Andover who was ill when the Salem Witch Trials began and in July of the year, began to accuse the following people of afflicting him: Hannah Bromage, Mary Bridges Sr, Mary Bradbury, Mary Clarke, Richard Carrier, Rebecca Eames, Mary Green, Francis Hutchins, Mary Post, Mary Lacey, Ruth Wilford, Mercy Wardwell.

Who were the first 3 people accused of witchcraft in Salem?

On March 1, Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, an enslaved woman from Barbados, became the first Salem residents to be charged with the capital crime of witchcraft.

Who was the leader of the Salem witches?

Samuel ParrisThe Reverend Samuel ParrisAlma materHarvard CollegeKnown forFather and uncle of Salem witch trials accusers; accuser along with his daughter and nieceSpouse(s)Elizabeth Eldridge ​ ​ ( m. 1680; died 1696)​ Dorothy Noyes ​ ​ ( m. 1699)​ChildrenThomas Parris Elizabeth Parris Susannah Parris4 more rows

Who started the witch trials?

In May 1692, the newly appointed governor of Massachusetts, William Phips, ordered the establishment of a special Court of Oyer (to hear) and Terminer (to decide) on witchcraft cases for Suffolk, Essex and Middlesex counties.

Who was responsible for the witch trials?

Thomas Putnam- One of the wealthiest residents of Salem, and the first to seek warrants against accused witches. As a highly influential church member he was a driving force behind the trials. He and other members of his family had property disputes with several of the accused.

How were the Salem witches killed?

Twenty people were eventually executed as witches, but contrary to popular belief, none of the condemned was burned at the stake. In accordance with English law, 19 of the victims of the Salem Witch Trials were instead taken to the infamous Gallows Hill to die by hanging.

What led to the Salem witch trials?

The Salem witch trials and executions came about as the result of a combination of church politics, family feuds, and hysterical children, all of which unfolded in a vacuum of political authority.

Are there witches in Salem today?

(Of Salem's 40,000 residents, between 800 and 1,600 identify as witches, with many working in or through the town's witch shops, or in witch-related tourism industries, such as the city's myriad magic-themed walking tours. The economics of Salem witchery is often a sore subject for many.

When was the last witch executed in America?

Salem Witch Trials Last Executions: Sept. 22, 1692 | Time.

Who was the central figure in the Salem Witch Trials?

The central figure in this 1876 illustration of the courtroom in the Salem witch trials is usually identified as Mary Walcott, one of the accusers. This is a list of people associated with the Salem Witch Trials, a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused ...

How many people were killed in the Salem Witch Trials?

The trials resulted in the executions of twenty people, most of whom were women.

When was Sarah Pease arrested?

Sarah Pease arrested for witchcraft May 23, 1692 pardoned by the Governor May 1693 along with 50 others.

Who were the two women arrested in Salem?

When Sarah Cloyce (Nurse's sister) and Elizabeth (Bassett) Proctor were arrested in April, they were brought before John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin at a meeting in Salem Town. The men were both local magistrates and also members of the Governor's Council. Present for the examination were Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth, and Assistants Samuel Sewall, Samuel Appleton, James Russell and Isaac Addington. During the proceedings, objections by Elizabeth's husband, John Proctor, resulted in his arrest that day.

What was Salem known for?

Salem Village (present-day Danvers, Massachusetts) was known for its fractious population, who had many internal disputes, and for disputes between the village and Salem Town (present-day Salem ). Arguments about property lines, grazing rights, and church privileges were rife, and neighbors considered the population as "quarrelsome." In 1672, the villagers had voted to hire a minister of their own, apart from Salem Town. The first two ministers, James Bayley (1673–79) and George Burroughs (1680–83), stayed only a few years each, departing after the congregation failed to pay their full rate. (Burroughs was subsequently arrested at the height of the witchcraft hysteria and was hanged as a witch in August 1692.)

What was the purpose of the witch cake?

This may have been a superstitious attempt to ward off evil spirits. According to an account attributed to Deodat Lawson ("collected by Deodat Lawson") this happened around March 8, over a week after the first complaints had gone out and three women were arrested. Lawson's account describes this cake "a means to discover witchcraft" and provides other details such as that it was made from rye meal and urine from the afflicted girls and was fed to a dog.

What did Increase Mather say about the trial?

Increase Mather and other ministers sent a letter to the Court, "The Return of Several Ministers Consulted", urging the magistrates not to convict on spectral evidence alone. (The court later ruled that spectral evidence was inadmissible, which caused a dramatic reduction in the rate of convictions and may have hastened the end of the trials.) A copy of this letter was printed in Increase Mather 's Cases of Conscience, published in 1693. The publication A Tryal of Witches, related to the 1662 Bury St Edmunds witch trial, was used by the magistrates at Salem when looking for a precedent in allowing spectral evidence. Since the jurist Sir Matthew Hale had permitted this evidence, supported by the eminent philosopher, physician and author Thomas Browne, to be used in the Bury St Edmunds witch trial and the accusations against two Lowestoft women, the colonial magistrates also accepted its validity and their trials proceeded.

What happens when someone concludes that a loss, illness, or death had been caused by witchcraft?

After someone concluded that a loss, illness, or death had been caused by witchcraft, the accuser entered a complaint against the alleged witch with the local magistrates. If the complaint was deemed credible, the magistrates had the person arrested and brought in for a public examination —essentially an interrogation where the magistrates pressed the accused to confess.

How old was Dorothy Good when she was accused of witchcraft?

Dorothy Good was four or five years old when she was accused of witchcraft.

When was the last trial in Massachusetts?

Although the last trial was held in May 1693, public response to the events continued. In the decades following the trials, survivors and family members (and their supporters) sought to establish the innocence of the individuals who were convicted and to gain compensation. In the following centuries, the descendants of those unjustly accused and condemned have sought to honor their memories. Events in Salem and Danvers in 1992 were used to commemorate the trials. In November 2001, years after the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the trials, the Massachusetts legislature passed an act exonerating all who had been convicted and naming each of the innocent. The trials have figured in American culture and been explored in numerous works of art, literature and film.

Who led the witch hunts in Salem?

Indeed, the vivid and painful legacy of the Salem witch trials endured well into the 20th century, when Arthur Miller dramatized the events of 1692 in his play “The Crucible” (1953), using them as an allegory for the anti-Communist “witch hunts” led by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s.

What was the Salem Witch Trials?

The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. As a wave of hysteria spread throughout colonial Massachusetts, a special court convened in Salem to hear the cases; the first convicted witch, Bridget Bishop, was hanged that June. Eighteen others followed Bishop to Salem’s Gallows Hill, while some 150 more men, women and children were accused over the next several months. By September 1692, the hysteria had begun to abate and public opinion turned against the trials. Though the Massachusetts General Court later annulled guilty verdicts against accused witches and granted indemnities to their families, bitterness lingered in the community, and the painful legacy of the Salem witch trials would endure for centuries.

What did Cotton Mather say about the Salem Witch Trials?

Increase Mather, president of Harvard College (and Cotton’s father) later joined his son in urging that the standards of evidence for witchcraft must be equal to those for any other crime, concluding that “It would better that ten suspected witches may escape than one innocent person be condemned.” Amid waning public support for the trials, Governor Phips dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer in October and mandated that its successor disregard spectral evidence. Trials continued with dwindling intensity until early 1693, and by that May Phips had pardoned and released all those in prison on witchcraft charges.

Where did the Salem Witch Trials take place?

Context & Origins of the Salem Witch Trials. Belief in the supernatural–and specifically in the devil’s practice of giving certain humans (witches) the power to harm others in return for their loyalty–had emerged in Europe as early as the 14th century, and was widespread in colonial New England.

What is the fungus in Salem?

In an effort to explain by scientific means the strange afflictions suffered by those "bewitched" Salem residents in 1692, a study published in Science magazine in 1976 cited the fungus ergot (found in rye, wheat and other cereals), which toxicologists say can cause symptoms such as delusions, vomiting and muscle spasms.

Why was Dudley Bradstreet accused of witchcraft?

Dudley Bradstreet – was accused of witchcraft after he refused to issue anymore warrants. He fled the colony until the hysteria ended.

Who was Ann Putnam Jr.?

Ann Putnam Jr. – The daughter of Thomas Putnam she became one of the primary accusers. Later in life, she would apologize for her actions.

Who was Mercy Lewis?

Mercy Lewis – Parents were killed by a Native American raid. She would become one of the primary accusers. She became a servant in the Putnam house.

Who was Thomas Putnam?

Thomas Putnam – An influential citizen of Salem who seemed to have a financial interest in the trials that he participated in.

Who was Elizabeth Booth?

Elizabeth Booth – She was the daughter of George and Elizabeth Booth. On June 8, 1692, Elizabeth allegedly showed signs of affliction by witchcraft.

Who was the first person to have fits?

Abigail Williams – She was one of the first to have fits. Her fits would eventually lead to the trials and she would disappear after the trials ended.

Why did the young ladies use spectral evidence?

The young ladies would speak of visions, act erratically, and come up with incredible stories about the accused. They relied on spectral evidence, which was allowed in the court until Governor Phips forbade its use. Spectral evidence is effective at getting a conviction due to it being so hard to defend against. The accuser can change their story within a moment and the accused are unable to give a counterargument.

How many people died in the Salem Witch Trials?

By the end of the Salem witch trials, 19 people had been hanged and 5 others had died in custody. Additionally, a man was pressed beneath heavy stones until he died.

How did the Salem Witch Trials happen?

The Salem witch trials and executions came about as the result of a combination of church politics, family feuds, and hysterical children, all of which unfolded in a vacuum of political authority.

What was the significance of the Salem Witch Trials?

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. 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 Miller ’s allegorical play The Crucible (1953).

How many Salems were there in the 17th century?

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.

What was the Salem village?

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. There was a social divide between the leading families as well as a split between factions that were for and against the village’s new pastor, Samuel Parris.

Where did the witch hunts take place?

The events in Salem in 1692 were but one chapter in a long story of witch hunts that began in Europe between 1300 and 1330 and ended in the late 18th century (with the last known execution for witchcraft taking place in Switzerland in 1782). The Salem trials occurred late in the sequence, after the abatement of the European witch-hunt fervour, which peaked from the 1580s and ’90s to the 1630s and ’40s. Some three-fourths of those European witch hunts took place in western Germany, the Low Countries, France, northern Italy, and Switzerland . The number of trials and executions varied according to time and place, but it is generally believed that some 110,000 persons in total were tried for witchcraft and between 40,000 to 60,000 were executed.

Who was the woman who was bewitched by Tituba?

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. On March 1 two magistrates from Salem Town, John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin, went to the village to conduct a public inquiry. Both Good and Osborn protested their own innocence, though Good accused Osborn. Initially, Tituba also claimed to be blameless, but after being repeatedly badgered (and undoubtedly fearful owing to her vulnerable status as a slave), she told the magistrates what they apparently wanted to hear—that she had been visited by the devil and made a deal with him. In three days of vivid testimony, she described encounters with Satan’s animal familiars and with a tall, dark man from Boston who had called upon her to sign the devil’s book, in which she saw the names of Good and Osborn along with those of seven others that she could not read.

Overview

Not found guilty or otherwise survived the trial period

• Dorothy Good – daughter of Sarah Good
• Sarah Morey
• Daniel Andrew (1643-1702) – From Salem Village, Daniel was accused of witchcraft but fled before he could be brought in.
• John Alden Jr.

Accusers

Convicted

Not tried

Court personnel

Public figures

External links

Overview

Legal procedures

Background

Timeline

Primary sources and early discussion

Aftermath and closure

In literature, media and popular culture

Medical theories about the reported afflictions