Introduction

The witch hunts started in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Witch hunts all began when 9 year old Elizabeth Perris and 11 year old Abigail William started having unexplained happenings. After this went on for a couple of weeks, a doctor concluded that this was due to witchcraft. With later investigations, a servant of one of the girls confessed to these practices.  Eventually, all three of the accused witches were held in prison to be tried on court by Jonathan Corwin. However, one of them would never see her trial because she died awaiting it. This would soon start a trend that would affect many towns and villages surrounding Salem.

The home of the judge, Jonathan Corwin in Salem still stands.

Timeline of Events

Jaunuary 20, 1692: Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Parris began having misfits.

Fibruary 1692: A doctor sees the two girls and suggests that the girls are bewitched.

February 1692: The two girls identify the witches who affected them to be Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne.

March 1, 1692: The judges look at the accused witches and consider their case.

June 29, 1692: The judges consider Sarah Good to be a witch.

July 19, 1692: Sarah Good is hanged at Gallows Hill.

December 1692: Sarah Osborne dies in jail awaiting her trial.

January 1693: 49 of the 53 accused witches are released for lack of evidence of witchcraft.

April 1693 Tituba is released from jail and sold to a new owner.

1697: Witchcraft killings are now forbidden in Salem.

Witch Symbol

Punishment for Witches in Salem

When the first "witches" were found guilty in Salem, right away people wanted revenge for the two little girls who were bewitched. However, before they automatically jumped to conclusions, they had to investigate first. Many of the times the judge would find evidence that they thought did make these women witches. In some cases they needed a confession to reassure their accusations. Some methods to make them confess were to crush them. They would make the witch lie on a table or the ground and lay a board over them. They would ask them question, and if they didn't give the answer they wanted, they would lay big rocks on the board. This was also a punishment that could eventually kill them. Another punishment/confession treatment was to stone the witch to death. They would literally throw stones at the witch until they died or confessed to witchcraft. One way that people killed witches was to hang them, or burn them tied to a stake in the middle of the town. This would help reassure people not to practice witchcraft.

An accused witch being hanged.



Bibliography

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"Salem Witch Museum - Salem, Massachusetts." Salem Witch Museum - Salem, Massachusetts. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2013. <http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/>.

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"The History of Witches and Witchcraft." Halloween Costumes and Costume Accessories for Adults, Teens and Kids.. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2013. <http://www.halloweenexpress.com/history-of-witches-and-witchcraft.php>.

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Hansen, Chadwick. Witchcraft at Salem. New York: George Braziller, 1969. Print.

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    An accused witch

Why I Chose Salem Witchcraft

I chose to study Salem because I'm fascinated at how little the people back then knew about medicine, so they had to blame it on something. It amazes me how many people were accused and died from this act. I am interested in medicines and cures, and in the late 1600's, some people knew a lot about that. However, I don't get why one would punish other humans for making someone feel better or curing a disease. The witches in Salem and everywhere else in the world died a horrible death. I couldn't imagine being burned or tortured until you admitted to being a witch. Needless to say, I am intrigued by witches and their ability to heal people when no one else could.

Look Into the Accused Suspects

In Salem, at first it was only people who practiced medicine that were accused. However, eventually people who didn't go to church, didn't have the same faith, practiced medicine, and outcasts were also accused of witch craft. All of these factors contributed to making people look witches. However, it had to get worse before it got better. Accusations were everywhere one turned. If you didn't like your neighbor, you could simply accuse them of witch craft and then they would possibly be tried and killed within a few months. This turned out to be a big problem because towards the end, there were nearly 200 accused people in Salem and outlying towns. While most people were just held in prison, some were hung or burned while their hands and arms were tightly wrapped around a stake.

Both pictures show accused witches and the victims of them

What is Witchcraft?

When we think of witches, usually people think of the traditional ugly, green faced, and evil creatures. During the 1600's, witches were considered medicine people who could heal illnesses. In these days, little was understood about medicine. When witches would make natural herbal remedies that would cure wounds and illnesses, people would consider them to be a witch. These practices were considered going against God's will. That is why witches are called the "Devil's Advocate". Events such as illnesses, disease, miscarriage, and even healing people were blamed on witches. If someone was accused of witchcraft, they might be tried in front of a jury, put in jail, or sometimes even killed. Some methods of killing "witches" would be to burn them, or stone them to death. This was to send a message to the town.


This is an image of an accused witch

Salem's First Witches

The people accused of witch craft on Betty and Abigail were Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba. Sarah Good was a homeless woman who would beg for food and money. She was accused of witch craft because of her bad reputation. She was also accused of the devil's act because she would scorn children when she passed them on the street, instead, you were supposed to "lead them on the right path and the path of righteousness". On the other hand, Sarah  Osborne hardly ever attended church meetings. The Puritans believed that she had her own self-interests and that the church wasn't important enough. Finally, Tituba was a slave who had different religious values than the Puritans in Salem. Sarah Good was found guilty and hanged, while Sarah Osborne died in prison awaiting her trial. However, Tituba confessed and was put in jail. Tituba was never tried or executed, but instead was bought by another owner.

This is Sarah Good's headstone in Salem.