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).
What happened to the girls who accused people of being witches in the Salem witch trials?
All three women were put in jail. With the seed of paranoia planted, a stream of accusations followed for the next few months. Charges against Martha Corey, a loyal member of the Church in Salem Village, greatly concerned the community; if she could be a witch, then anyone could.
What happened to the people who confessed in the Salem witch trials?
Those who confessed—or who confessed and named other witches—were spared the court’s vengeance, owing to the Puritan belief that they would receive their punishment from God. Those who insisted upon their innocence met harsher fates, becoming martyrs to their own sense of justice.
What happened to the three girls in the Salem witch trials?
On February 29th, 1692, three women were arrested for suspicion of witchcraft: Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and the Parris slave, Tituba. They were all found guilty, but, the only one to confess was Tituba. Since the other two women did not confess, Good was hanged, and Osborne died in prison.
What happened to those who did not confess to witchcraft in Salem?
Historically, a confession was the single best way for the court to gain a conviction and an execution for charges of witchcraft. The irony is that none of the accused Salem witches who confessed were convicted or executed but all 19 people who refused to confess were found guilty and executed.
Who were the afflicted girls in the Salem witch trials?
They accused the majority of the victims in the trials. These afflicted girls were: Elizabeth Booth, Sarah Churchill, Elizabeth Hubbard, Mercy Lewis, Ann Putnam Jr, Betty Parris, Susannah Sheldon, Mary Walcott, Mary Warren and Abigail Williams.
How old was the youngest person accused of witchcraft in Salem?
Dorothy, written as “Dorcas” on the warrant for her arrest, received a brief hearing in which the accusers repeatedly complained of bites on their arms. She was sent to jail, becoming at age five the youngest person to be jailed during the Salem witch trials.
Was Tituba hanged?
By that time, arrests had spread across eastern Massachusetts on the strength of her March story, however. One pious woman would not concede witchcraft was at work: How could she say as much, she was asked, given Tituba’s confession? The woman hanged, denying—as did every 1692 victim—any part of sorcery to the end.
What happened to Tituba?
Her confession was enough to convince the town that true evil was afoot. As the trials spun further and further out of control, Tituba remained imprisoned in Boston. She was indicted as “a detestable Witch” and languished in jail for more than a year.
Do witch hunts still happen?
Today, witch trials occur all over the world. Organizations like the United Nations and Stepping Stones Nigeria have found that the number of witch trials around the world is increasing. They are almost always violent, and sometimes they are deadly. When people get sick, witchcraft is sometimes seen as the cause.
What happened to Annie Putnam?
According to Upham, and implied by her own will, Annie was chronically ill in the years after the trials, and that led to her death at a young age. It seems she was frequently the subject of sickness, and her bodily powers much weakened.
Who was the first woman to be hung in Salem after being accused?
Bridget Bishop
In Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Bridget Bishop, the first colonist to be tried in the Salem witch trials, is hanged after being found guilty of the practice of witchcraft.
Who were the 3 girls who started the Salem Witch Trials?
Three little girls created so much havoc and chaos for the community of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 and 1693. Their names were Ann Putnam Jr., Abigail Willams, and Brittney Parris. They created mass hysteria later with the help of many other girls in the community [1].
What will happen to the accused if they do not confess they are witches?
If these accused witches do not confess, they will be hanged. Whoever Abigail and her troop name as they go into hysterics is arrested for bewitching the girls. Proctor can barely believe the craze, and he tells Elizabeth that Abigail had sworn her dancing had nothing to do with witchcraft.
What were the symptoms of the afflicted girls in the Salem witch trials?
Convulsive ergotism causes violent fits, a crawling sensation on the skin, vomiting, choking, and, hallucinations. In fact, the hallucinogenic drug LSD is a derivative of ergot. Many of the symptoms of convulsive ergotism seem to match those attributed to Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams.
Was anyone actually burned at the stake in Salem?
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.
Are there any descendants of the Salem witches?
Three presidents–Taft, Ford and Arthur–also are descended from one of Salem’s 20 executed witches or their siblings. So are Clara Barton, Walt Disney and Joan Kennedy. And, of course, our descendant in-the-making.
Who was the first child to be accused of witchcraft?
Dorcas Good, four-year-old daughter of Sarah Good, became the first child to be accused of witchcraft when three of the girls complained that they were bitten by the specter of Dorcas.
What happened to Tituba’s daughter?
It is believed that Tituba had only one child, a daughter named Violet, who would remain in Parris’ household until his death. Dissatisfaction in the community with Parris as a minister began in 1691, and manifested itself in the sporadic payment of his salary.
What is Tituba being accused of and what does she claim actually happened?
Little is known about Tituba’s life prior to her enslavement. It is said that she was named after the tribe or the town which she came from.
| Tituba | |
|---|---|
| Known for | Accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. She confessed for survival. |
| Criminal charge(s) | Witchcraft |
| Criminal penalty | Imprisonment |
How old was Tituba when accused?
She was likely between the age of 12 and 17 when she came into the Parris household. She was most likely purchased by Parris from one of his business associates, or given to settle a debt. Parris, at the time, was an unmarried merchant, leading to speculation that Tituba may have served as his concubine.