Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

There were many people involved in the Salem Witch Trials. There were also many people who spoke out against the trials. The first of these people to speak out was John Willard. Willard was later accused of witchcraft by Ann Putnam Jr. and then again by his grandmother, Bray Wilkins . After being accused, the witches had the opportunity to confess their sins and return to there religious fold after repenting. Ann Putnam Jr. was the only person who ever actually did so. She then went on to accuse many other people of witchcraft. Many of the people that were accused had also been accused of other crimes. For example, Sarah Wildes had had many prior run-in with the law. In 1649, she was accused of fornicating out of a wedlock with Thomas Hardwell and in 1663, she was accused of wearing a silk scarf (Rebecca Brooks). Many of the people accused were never tried. Sarah Goode, Sarah Osbourne, and Tituba were the first three people …show more content…
Many things occurred during the trials. Many people were tried, convicted, and executed. About one one hundred and sixty men, women, and children were accused. The people executed were often stoned to death or hanged. There were so many people accused they had to be put in jails in Salem, Ipswich, and Boston. There were many victims. Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams were the original accusers. These victim’s would act possessed. The way to find witches was to bake into a cake something from a victim’s body, such as urine, and have the victim eat the cake. The victim would then announce the name of the witch. There were many ways a witch could be freed after being accused. One way was to confess and repent. Another way was to accuse other witches. They also tracked down said witches. People all around the Salem area were accused. Martha Carrier was the first person in Andover accused (Rebecca Brooks). Elizabeth Howe was from Topsfield and Susannah Martin was from