Fear and the need for the colonists to control what was perceived as the devil trying to dismantle Christianity ignited The Salem Witch Trials of 1692. During this panicked and terrifying time period over two hundred men, women, children, and even cats were accused of practicing witchcraft. Twenty people were ultimately executed for carrying out the devil’s affairs (Brooks). There were others convicted of the crime, dating back to 1648 but the first confession came at the beginning of the trials. The Salem Witch Trials were initiated by the confession of a slave named Tituba (Brooks). Her admission, and further allegations of other practicing witchcraft, ultimately began the massacre of the twenty people killed. Bridget Bishop was among the
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The accusations of witchcraft against her began when his nine-year old daughter and eleven year old niece began experiencing, what they considered at the time to be, paranormal phenomenon. The girls encountered biting, scratching, and epileptic fits during the duration of the torment. These experiences were contributed to the actions of spirits and invisible entities (Rosenthal 1). Tituba confessed to the assaults against the girls and released names of others practicing witchcraft in the area. In her confession she stated there were dozens of additional witches practicing in Salem. This panicked the colonists and they set off on a witch hunt to find the others. The political and social turmoil also played a role in beginning The Salem Witch Trials (Rosenthal …show more content…
The imprisoned would be sent to prison and chained in the dungeon. It was believed that the chains would keep their spirits from escaping and harming those outside the prison. Prisons became so overcrowded that they were forced to open multiple jails to hold the massive amount of those convicted. In Bridget Bishop’s case she was to be “hanged by the neck until she was dead” (Roach 168). She was executed on June 10, 1962 between eight o’clock and noon ( Roach 167).
They had no common place of execution because all capital cases had been handled in Boston. They chose a stretch of pasture on the edge of town, out of the way but still visible (Roach 167). This was so her execution was set as an example to the others practicing witchcraft. She was picked up from the jail and transported in a cart flanked by guards and mounted officers. They used such great security because she was considered a dangerous criminal (Roach
The accusations of witchcraft against her began when his nine-year old daughter and eleven year old niece began experiencing, what they considered at the time to be, paranormal phenomenon. The girls encountered biting, scratching, and epileptic fits during the duration of the torment. These experiences were contributed to the actions of spirits and invisible entities (Rosenthal 1). Tituba confessed to the assaults against the girls and released names of others practicing witchcraft in the area. In her confession she stated there were dozens of additional witches practicing in Salem. This panicked the colonists and they set off on a witch hunt to find the others. The political and social turmoil also played a role in beginning The Salem Witch Trials (Rosenthal …show more content…
The imprisoned would be sent to prison and chained in the dungeon. It was believed that the chains would keep their spirits from escaping and harming those outside the prison. Prisons became so overcrowded that they were forced to open multiple jails to hold the massive amount of those convicted. In Bridget Bishop’s case she was to be “hanged by the neck until she was dead” (Roach 168). She was executed on June 10, 1962 between eight o’clock and noon ( Roach 167).
They had no common place of execution because all capital cases had been handled in Boston. They chose a stretch of pasture on the edge of town, out of the way but still visible (Roach 167). This was so her execution was set as an example to the others practicing witchcraft. She was picked up from the jail and transported in a cart flanked by guards and mounted officers. They used such great security because she was considered a dangerous criminal (Roach