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Thomas Tran
Mrs. Schellin
English 10 Honors
04 October 2016

The Salem Witchcraft Trials

The Salem witch trials occurred in Massachusetts from 1692 and 1693. More
than 200 accused and 20 executed. Colony later admitted that the trials were a mistake
and tried to compensate the families of those accused or executed. Christians and other
religious people thought that the Devil gave witches power in return for their loyalty.
There was a witchcraft craze in Europe from the 14th to 17th century. Tens of thousands
were accused, of which the majority were women. There were certain circumstances
that may have instigated the salem witchcraft trials. The rulers of England, William and
Mary, waged war on France in the colonies. Upstate New York, Nova Scotia, and
Quebec were affected, and refugees fled to what was essentially Salem Village. The
refugees strained Salems resources, and this increased the rivalry between neighbors
for land and money. Reverend Samuel Parris also played a big role, with his rigid ways
and greedy nature, was not well liked.
In January 1692, Reverend Parris daughter Elizabeth, and his niece Abigail,
started showing various symptoms. They had fits, screamed randomly, threw things,
and had seizures. A doctor in Salem said it was caused by the supernatural. The
daughter of Thomas ad Good Putnam, Ann Putnam, also started having similar

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symptoms. February 29th, pressured by Jonathan Corwin and John Hawthorne who
were the magistrates at the time, the girls accused three women of witchcraft.
Sarah Osborne, and elderly woman; Sarah Good, a beggar; and Tituba, an
African slave. On March 1st, the women were brought in for questioning. Tituba
confessed that she had served the devil, also saying that there were other women
under the service of the devil as well, while Osborne had claimed innocence. The three
women were jailed, but not executed. With the idea of witches having been started,
paranoia was abound. Accusations began. Martha Corey, was accused, and this was
worrisome. If a loyal and religious woman like her could be charged, then anyone could.
In April, Governor Thomas Danforth attended hearings in Salem. On May 27 of
1692, Governor William Phipps ordered the establishment of a Special Court of Oyer, to
hear cases; and Terminer, to decide cases.Bridget Shop was the first case in this
special court. She was deemed guilty and on June 10, was the first person to hang on
Gallows Hill. Shortly after, minister Cotton Mather pleaded the court not to consider
spectral evidence, one of dreams and visions, which could not be proved. He was
ignored, and five more were hanged in July, five in August, and eight in September.
On October 3, Increase Mather, then president of Harvard, denied the use of
spectral evidence: "It were better that ten suspected witches should escape than one
innocent person be condemned." In reply to Mathers request and to his own wife being
accused, stopped further arrests, released the witches, and dissolved the special courts
of Oyer and Terminer. These two courts were then replaced with the Superior court of
Judicature. Only 3 out of 56 defendants were condemned. By May of the next year,

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Phillips pardoned all who were accused of witchcraft. However, too much was already
done. 19 hanged, an elderly man crushed to death by stones, and several others dead
in jail.
After the trials and chaos was largely over, many like judge Samuel Sewall,
publicly confessed that they were guilty and wrong. On January 14, 1697 the General
Court ordered a day of fasting and reflection for the tragedy that was the Witchcraft
Trials of Salem. In 1702, the court declared the trials a mistake. In 1711, the colony
passed a bill restoring the rights and good reputation of those accused and granted
600 compensation to their heirs. However, it was not until 1957 that Massachusetts
had formally and officially apologized for the events of 1692.

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Bibliography
"Salem Witch Museum." Salem Witch Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.
"A Brief History of the Salem Witchcraft Trials." Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian, n.d. Web. 04
Nov. 2016.
History.com Staff. "Salem Witch Trials." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2011. Web. 04 Nov.
2016.