Accused Witches
Image courtesy o
Image courtesy o
What Are the Salem Witch Trials?:
"Witch" being hit
(6.) Deciding if this accused male practices witchcraft
(7.) |
When It All Started:
The Salem Witch Trials were a set of informal examinations of a handful of local women, who had been labeled and then executed as witches. The trials began during the spring of 1962, when a pair of young girls,- 9 year old Elizabeth Parris and 11 year-old Abigail Williams,- the daughter and niece of the highly respected Reverend Samuel Parris,- claimed to be experiencing signs of madness. Their symptoms were later diagnosed by as fits of possession. (1. The Accused: Under the pressure and influence of their parents and doctors, the two girls accused three women as their tormentors,- Sarah Good, Sarah Osbourne, and local slave named Tituba. The same day as the acquisitions, Tituba later confessed to the crimes of witchcraft. [Likely hoping to be spared the painful tortures of that came with being questioned.] In turn, she named several other women as her accomplices. A wave of hysteria soon spread throughout the colonial area, setting forth a paranoia that would ultimately cost over 19 residents their lives. The Setup: In June of that same year, a special court convened in Salem to hear cases. They gathered under a man named William Stoughton, to judge the accused. The first woman convicted and killed for witchcraft was Bridget Bishop, who was known around the town for her outrageous behavior. (2. 150 more men, women, and children were accused of the same crime over the several next months. The End: The fear that Salem would be taken over by witches did not fade until October of 1693. The opinion of the public turned against the idea of continuing the executions. The General Court of Massachusetts annulled all guilty verdicts against every accused witch, and granted each family affected with the sincerest apology. (3. Bitterness followed the history of the community, as the painful legacy of the Salem Witch Trials continues to stay with the town for centuries to come. The End Part II: Bridget Bishop and was hung in June. Eighteen more people had followed to Salem’s Gallows Hill, 150 more men, women, and children were accused over the several next months. In September 1962, hysteria had to begun to die down and the opinion of the public turned against the trials. The General Court of Massachusetts annulled guilty verdicts against accused witches and granted indemnities to families, bitterness followed along with the community and the painful legacy of the Salem Witch Trials would stay with the community for centuries. (4. Written By: Libbi Demoss |