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Witchcraft in New England
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People Effected
Overall, 19 people were killed during the Salem Witch trials. 18 women, aged from their early 20s to their late 70s, were hung on Gallows hill. One man was pressed to death due to the fact that he would not testify in court. More people died in prison while awaiting their trial, while hundreds more were being held in custody for being accused of witchcraft.
How it ended
In the fall of 1692, the Salem witch trials were losing steam. Doubts were starting to develop on how so many people were found guilty and leaders in the community started efforts to end the witch hunting. After this, many authors started to write novels on the witch hunting problem. Popular books included Increase Mather's Cases of Conscience and Samuel Willard's Some Miscellany Observations. These books then influenced the Governor to stop the cases on the witches and to release those who were convicted.
First Case
Elizabeth Parris, age 10, was one of the first young girls to claim they were enchanted by witches. She showed symptoms of fever, screamed in pain, and barked like a dog. Soon after, another girl described the same symptoms that Elizabeth had. A doctor was called in who presumed that the girls must have been bewitched, a theory that everyone believed.
Summary
Works cited
Salem Witch Trials
In New England during the 1600s, many people believed in bewitchment of civilians. This led to a social stratification and injustice towards those accused of witchcraft. The social issue gained momentum during the Salem Witch trials in the 1690s.
The Salem Witch trials began in 1692, when girls in the village of Salem claimed they were possessed by the devil, with the help of several older women of the community. This fueled the fears of witches, witchcraft, and ultimately, the devil in citizens of Salem. Local governments were set up to combat the amount of witchcraft cases being brought up.
"Betty Parris: First Afflicted Girl of the
Salem Witch Trials." History of Massachusetts. 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
Linder, Douglas. "An Account of the Salem
Witchcraft Investigations, Trials, and Aftermath." An Account of the Salem Witchcraft Investigations, Trials, and Aftermath. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
"Salem Witch Trials." History.com. A&E
Television Networks, 2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2016. <http://www.history.com/topics/salem-witch-trials>.