The others were either found guilty but pardoned, found not guilty, were never indicted or simply evaded arrest or escaped from jail. Refused to enter a plea and tortured to death: Giles Corey September 19th, Escaped from Prison: John Alden Jr.
Edward Bishop Jr. Other victims include two dogs who were shot or killed after being suspected of witchcraft. The fact is, no accused witches were burned at the stake in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem was ruled by English law at the time, which only allowed death by burning to be used against men who committed high treason and only after they had been hanged, quartered and drawn.
As for why these victims were targeted in the first place, historians have noted that many of the accused were wealthy and held different religious beliefs than their accusers. This, coupled with the fact that the accused also had their estates confiscated if they were convicted has led many historians to believe that religious feuds and property disputes played a big part in the witch trials.
Daily chores, business matters and other activities were neglected during the chaos of the witch trials, causing many problems in the colony for years to come, according to the book The Witchcraft of Salem Village:.
The people had been so determined upon hunting out and destroying witches that they had neglected everything else. Planting, cultivating, the care of houses, barns, roads, fences, were all forgotten.
As a direct result, food became scarce and taxes higher. Farms were mortgaged or sold, first to pay prison fees, then to pay taxes; frequently they were abandoned. Salem Village began that slow decay which eventually erased its houses and walls, but never its name and memory.
As the years went by, the colonists felt ashamed and remorseful for what had happened during the Salem Witch Trials. Since the witch trials ended, the colony also began to suffer many misfortunes such as droughts, crop failures, smallpox outbreaks and Native-American attacks and many began to wonder if God was punishing them for their mistake.
On December 17, , Governor Stoughton issued a proclamation in hopes of making amends with God. The proclamation suggested that there should be:. The day of prayer and fasting was held on January 15, , and was known as the Day of Official Humiliation. In , afflicted girl Ann Putnam, Jr.
Her apology states:. And particularly, as I was a chief instrument of accusing of Goodwife Nurse and her two sisters, I desire to lie in the dust, and to be humbled for it, in that I was a cause, with others, of so sad a calamity to them and their families; for which cause I desire to lie in the dust, and earnestly beg forgiveness of God, and from all those unto whom I have given just cause of sorrow and offence, whose relations were taken away or accused.
Since some families of the victims did not want their family member listed, not every victim was named. At the announcement ceremony, playwright Arthur Miller made a speech and read from the last act of his play, The Crucible, which was inspired by the Salem Witch Trials. On October 31, , the state amended the apology and cleared the names of the remaining unnamed victims, stating:.
Everything we know now about the trials comes from just a handful of primary sources of the Salem Witch Trials. In addition to official court records there are also several books written by the ministers and other people involved in the trials:. Sources: Upham, Charles W. Wiggin and Lunt, Crewe, Sabrina and Michael V. The Salem Witch Trials. Morrisiana, Jackson, Shirley. The Witchcraft of Salem Village. Random House, Fowler, Samuel Page. Samuel Parris of Salem Village.
William Ives and George W. This site helped a lot for me to understand the history of Salem. It also helped with my reading assignment. I wonder how many people ran away from The Salem Witch Trials. It seems like an easier thing to do than just sit there and be accused. Also i seems like a smarter thing to do at the moment if you had a rival with one of the families in town.
Not many people fled Salem, only a handful did, because Salem was their home and had been for a long time. Where can I get a copy of the Salem map that you posted? I could use this for classroom use…. I think they where viewed in an horrible way, because the people who where accused where not really witches. Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. Smithsonia, 8 Sept. Hi Sarah, I am the author and publisher of this blog. This site is not a part of the Smithsonian website.
Hope that helps with your bibliography. I love this site! Did you know they executed 2 dogs?! How inhumane! It disgusts me but at the same time interests me, and makes me want to learn more.
When was this site last edited? Do you have a version number for this site? Also, when was his last updated? Thank you, using this as a source! This article was last updated on Nov 22, It is sad where the mind-set was back then. The preacher sad they could not kill the devil by shooting the dog but did anyway. Then after said the dog died so it must have been innocent. A child pointed to a dog and said it bewitched me and shot the dog immediately.
Then say they were wrong. Then they even do a greater injustice by not only torturing folks in prison but hanging 19 of them and then putting rocks on a 71 year old man until he died because he would not state he was guilty or innocent some old English law if accused refused to make a plea.
Thank you so much for this! Do you know if their are any reports from some of the people in the villiage? Most of the eyewitness accounts can be found in the court records and the books written by the ministers involved in the trials. I find the history interesting and would like to find more information on this matter.
I think in some forms that witches still exist in hidden arenas. If there is anyone has found anymore supporting theories please share. I am looking forward to the challenge of uncovering a multitude of analysis on this matter. Hi Rebecca…I saw that you have a lot of knowledge about Mary Easty…I was told this year at a funeral that I am a direct decendent of hers…I live in Salem and My Grandfather was name William Estey…do you by any chance have any history of the family tree?
Unfortunately, I do not have any information on her family tree but you might want to check out a genealogy site like ancestry. Phips establishes a Court of Oyer and Terminer to investigate the allegations of witchcraft. Lieutenant Gov. An arrest warrant is issued for John Alden.
May 31 Philip English, husband of Mary English, is examined by the court. June 1 Mary English testifies that Mary Warren had confessed to lying in court. Bridget Bishop's trial begins under the Court of Oyer and Terminer and she is found guilty. She is sentenced to hang. June 10 Bridget Bishop is hanged on Gallows Hill.
June 15 Twelve ministers of the colony advise the court not to rely on spectral evidence for convicting suspected witches. In the letter, they ask the ministers to support their request for a change of venue for the trials. August 2 William Beale testifies before an Essex County grand jury that when he was laid up in bed sick in March, Philip English's specter appeared to him. The next day his son, James--who had been recovering from smallpox--complained of a pain in his side and later died.
September 9 Six accused are tried and condemned by the court. September 16 Giles Corey refuses to stand trial, so the Court of Oyer and Terminer orders the sheriff to pile rocks on him. September 17 Nine accused are tried and condemned by the court. September 19 Giles Corey is pressed to death. Oxford University Press, Boyer, Paul and Stephen Nissenbaum. Harvard University Press, Perley, Sidney. Taylor Trade Publishing, Gaskill, Malcolm.
Goss, K. Greenwood Press, Upham, Charles W. Wiggin and Lunt, I have read and studied the witch trials for years. I used to teach it to my students as an example of periodic social scapegoating. One time she attended a reunion of her descendants.
She told me there were more than descendants there. My sister and I moved to Missouri after my dad passed away.
This is great! I am researching to make props for Halloween. I like to make things very authentic, a little OCD.
0コメント