Historians believe the accused witches were victims of mob mentality, mass hysteria and scapegoating. The Salem Witch Trials began in March of 1. The girls then accused a local slave, Tituba, and two other women of bewitching them. When Tituba was arrested a few days later, confessed she was a witch and stated there were other witches in Salem, the colonists panicked and began a massive witch hunt to find these other witches. Many historians believe that a number of individuals in the colony, particularly the Putnam family, quickly took advantage of this witch hunt and mass hysteria by accusing rival neighbors or other colonists that they disapproved of or wanted revenge against. Let the wild accusations fly as we look at the Salem witch trials.Puritans were very hostile towards colonists who didn’t follow the strict religious and societal rules in the colony. As a result, it is not surprising that many of the accused witches were outspoken women, Quakers, slaves, colonists with criminal backgrounds and/or prior witchcraft accusations or colonists who criticized the witch trials. According to the book The Societal History of Crime and Punishment in America: “A number of historians have speculated as to why the witch hunts occurred and why certain people were singled out. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a dark time in American history. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were killed during the hysteria. Ever since those dark days ended, the trials have become. Ergot: A dark purple structure, also called a sclerotium, belonging to the fungus Claviceps purpurea that has replaced the grain in Rye plants. The ergot contains several alkaloids (mycotoxins) that are. Salem Witch Trials in History and Literature An Undergraduate Course, University of Virginia Spring Semester 2001 In late February of 1692, Reverend Samuel Parris called in a doctor to examine his nine-year-old daughter, Betty. These proposed reasons have included personal vendettas, fear of strong women, and economic competition. Regardless, the Salem Witch Trials are a memorial and a warning to what hysteria, religious intolerance, and ignorance can cause in the criminal justice system.”All of these factors created a volatile and dangerous situation that resulted in the imprisonment and death of many innocent people. How Many People Died in the Salem Witch Trials? The official death count for the Salem Witch Trials is 2. Proctor’s Ledge, near Gallows hill, and one person was tortured to death during the Salem Witch Trials. Four people also died in prison while awaiting trial. Experience the 1692 Salem witch-hunt in a terrifying online trial: 'Are you a witch? How long have you been in the snare of the devil? The other victims were either found guilty but pardoned, found not guilty, were never indicted, evaded arrest or escaped from jail. How Many People Were Accused during the Salem Witch Trials? According to various sources, over 2. Salem Witch Trials. Not everyone who was accused was pursued by authorities or arrested though. Between 1. 40 and 1. Some of the court records have been lost over the years, but the following is an almost complete list of the victims arrested for witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials: Arrested for Witchcraft: Arthur Abbott Nehemiah Abbott Jr John Alden Jr Abigail Barker Mary Barker William Barker, Sr William Barker, Jr Sarah Bassett Sarah Bibber Bridget Bishop Sarah Bishop Mary Black Mary Bradbury Mary Bridges, Sr Mary Bridges, Jr Sarah Bridges Hannah Bromage Sarah Buckley George Burroughs Candy Martha Carrier Richard Carrier Sarah Carrier Thomas Carrier Jr Bethia Carter, Sr Elizabeth Cary Sarah Churchill Mary Clarke Rachel Clinton Sarah Cloyce Sarah Cole (of Lynn) Sarah Cole (of Salem) Elizabeth Colson Giles Corey Martha Corey Deliverance Dane Mary De Rich. Elizabeth Dicer Ann Dolliver Lydia Dustin Sarah Dustin Daniell Eames Rebecca Eames Mary Easty. Esther Elwell Martha Emerson Joseph Emons Phillip English Thomas Farrer Edward Farrington Abigail Faulkner, Sr Dorothy Faulkner Elizabeth Fosdick Ann Foster Nicholas Frost Eunice Fry Dorcas Good Sarah Good Mary Green Elizabeth Hart Margaret Hawkes Sarah Hawkes Dorcas Hoar Abigail Hobbs Deliverance Hobbs William Hobbs Elizabeth Howe Elizabeth Hubbard Frances Hutchins Mary Ireson John Jackson, Sr John Jackson, Jr George Jacobs, Sr George Jacobs, Jr Margaret Jacobs Rebecca Jacobs Elizabeth Johnson, Sr Elizabeth Johnson, Jr Rebecca Johnson Stephen Johnson Mary Lacey, Sr Mary Lacey, Jr John Lee Mercy Lewis Jane Lilly Mary Marston Susannah Martin Sarah Morey Rebecca Nurse Sarah Osborne Mary Osgood Alice Parker Mary Parker Sarah Pease. Joan Penney Hannah Post Mary Post Susannah Post. Margaret Prince Benjamin Proctor Elizabeth Proctor John Proctor Sarah Proctor William Proctor Ann Pudeator Wilmot Redd Sarah Rice Susannah Roots Henry Salter John Sawdy Margaret Scott Ann Sears Susanna Sheldon Abigail Somes Martha Sparks Mary Taylor. Tituba Job Tookey. Mary Toothaker Roger Toothaker Johanna Tyler Martha Tyler Mercy Wardwell Samuel Wardwell Sarah Wardwell. Mary Warren Sarah Wilds John Willard Sarah Wilson, Sr. Mary Witheridge. Illustration of the hanging of Bridget Bishop. Found Guilty and Executed: Bridget Bishop (Age: 5. Bridget Bishop was a widow who lived in Salem town. Bishop had a bad reputation around town because she had been accused of witchcraft years before and had frequent run- ins with the law. She wasn’t the first person accused during the Salem Witch Trials but she was the first person tried because it was believed the case against her would be easy to win. She was brought to trial on June 2, found guilty and became the first person executed during the witch trials when she was hanged on June 1. Sarah Good (Age: 3. Sarah Good lived in Salem Village and was the wife of William Good. At the time of the witch trials she was poor and pregnant and would often go door to door in Salem Village begging for handouts while her husband worked as a day laborer. She was one of the first people accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials, along with Sarah Osbourn and Tituba. When the afflicted girls first began showing symptoms that they were bewitched, the girls accused the three women of the bewitching them. Sarah Good was brought to trial June 2. July 1. 9, 1. 69. Elizabeth Howe (Age: 5. Elizabeth Howe lived in Topsfield and was the wife of farmer James Howe. Much like Bridget Bishop, Howe had also been accused of witchcraft before. In her previous case she was accused of bewitching a local girl. No charges were ever brought up against Howe but she was later refused admittance to an Ipswich church due to the incident. In May of 1. 69. 2, she was accused of witchcraft by the afflicted girls in Salem Village. She was arrested, brought to trial on June 2. July 1. 9, 1. 69. Susannah Martin (Age: 7. Susannah Martin was a poor widow who lived in Amesbury at the time of the Salem Witch Trials. Much like Bridget Bishop, Susannah Martin had also been accused of witchcraft before. In her previous cases she was accused of infanticide and tormenting people with her specter. The charges were eventually dropped or dismissed. Martin was accused of witchcraft by the afflicted girls in the spring of 1. Susannah Martin was taken to Salem Village, brought to trial on June 2. July 1. 9, 1. 69. Rebecca Nurse (Age: 7. Rebecca Nurse was an elderly grandmother from Salem Village and the wife of farmer Francis Nurse. She was a pious and popular woman who had a longstanding feud with the Putnam family over border boundaries between their adjoining land. She also disapproved of the controversial appointment of Samuel Parris, whom was a close friend of the Putnams, as the new Salem Village minister. The Putnams were Rebecca Nurse’s main accusers during the witch trials and many of them testified against her. Rebecca Nurse was originally found not guilty at the end of her trial in late June but when the verdict was read out loud in the court the afflicted girls protested and the jury was asked to reconsider its decision. The jury reconsidered and came back with a guilty verdict. Rebecca Nurse was executed on July 1. Sarah Wildes (Age: 6. Sarah Wildes lived in Topsfield and was the wife of a local judge John Wildes. Sarah Wildes had somewhat of a bad reputation due to previous brushes with law. In 1. 64. 9, she was accused of fornicating out of wedlock with Thomas Wardwell and in 1. After she married widower John Wildes in 1. John Gould and Mary Gould Reddington, the brother and sister of John Wildes’ late wife, developed a hatred of Sarah Wildes and, in 1. The rumors continued for years until an angry Sarah Wildes physically attacked Mary Gould Reddington on the road one day, pulling her off her horse and throwing her to the ground. Even after Mary Gould Reddington passed away from natural causes years later, Mary’s friends continued to harass and torment Sarah Wildes. The Gould family were close friends with the Putnam family of Salem Village. Shortly after the Salem witch hunt began in March of 1. Putnam family accused Sarah Wildes of witchcraft in April of 1. John Wildes daughter (from a previous marriage) and son- in- law, Sarah and Edward Bishop, were also arrested as was John’s other daughter Phoebe Wildes. Sarah Wildes was brought to trial on June 2. July 1. 9, 1. 69. Reverend George Burroughs (Age: 4. George Burroughs was the only Puritan minister to be accused and executed during the Salem Witch Trials. Burroughs was a minister in Casco, Maine during the 1. Native Americans. He later settled in Salisbury, Mass for a while before being asked to serve as the new minister in Salem Village in 1. The residents of Salem disagreed over his appointment as minister and he was not always paid his salary. He often borrowed money from the Putnam family to support his family. When he stopped being paid all together, he left Salem and returned to Maine. At some point the Putnam family sued Burroughs for failure to repay his debt and shortly after accused him of witchcraft. Burroughs was arrested, brought to trial on August 5 and executed on August 1. Martha Carrier (Age: 3. Martha Carrier lived in Andover and was the wife of Thomas Carrier. Carrier was also the niece of outspoken opponent of the Salem Witch Trials, Reverend Francis Dane of Andover, and the sister of accused witch Mary Toothaker of Billerica. Carrier was the first person in Andover accused during the Salem Witch Trials. She was accused by her neighbor Benjamin Abbot after the two had a dispute over land and Abbot immediately fell ill. Her children were also accused and were coerced into testifying against her. Carrier was brought to trial on August 5 and executed on August 1. John Willard (Age: about 3. John Willard was a deputy constable in Salem at the time of the Salem Witch Trials.
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