Men, women, two dogs, and even a four year old girl were accused of practicing witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Some people were convicted and hung, while one person was even sentenced to death by stone. Many people were sent to jail to await their trials, so many that the jails soon became crowded. The lives of many people in the town of Salem were affected by the trials when about 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, nineteen people were hung and one person was stoned to death.
The Salem Witch Trials began in early 1692, when two young girls, one the daughter of Reverend Samuel Parris and the other his niece, became strangely ill. Betty Parris, the Reverend’s daughter, and Abigail Williams, the Reverend’s niece, “began having fits, …show more content…
Reverend Increase Mather (Cotton Mather’s father) among other ministers from Boston, got together and eventually convinced Governor Phips “to stop the proceedings of the special court” and deny “the use of spectral evidence”. Without the young girls standing in front of the court in fits and contortions and the ability to use spectral evidence, the convictions quickly ended. The Governor called on the Superior Court of Judicature to take on the rest of the cases and start emptying out the jails (Salem Transcription Project). The Salem Witch Trials had finally ended, but nothing could truly fix the damage that had already been done.
Twenty people were killed during the Salem Witch Trials, nineteen of the men and women were hung at Gallows Hill and one man was sentenced to death by stone after refusing to stand trial (An Account). The members of the special court offered
Mertig 6 apologies to the people and some of the names of the people accused and hung were cleared. The name clearing still continues today (Salem Transcription
The Salem Witch Trials began in early 1692, when two young girls, one the daughter of Reverend Samuel Parris and the other his niece, became strangely ill. Betty Parris, the Reverend’s daughter, and Abigail Williams, the Reverend’s niece, “began having fits, …show more content…
Reverend Increase Mather (Cotton Mather’s father) among other ministers from Boston, got together and eventually convinced Governor Phips “to stop the proceedings of the special court” and deny “the use of spectral evidence”. Without the young girls standing in front of the court in fits and contortions and the ability to use spectral evidence, the convictions quickly ended. The Governor called on the Superior Court of Judicature to take on the rest of the cases and start emptying out the jails (Salem Transcription Project). The Salem Witch Trials had finally ended, but nothing could truly fix the damage that had already been done.
Twenty people were killed during the Salem Witch Trials, nineteen of the men and women were hung at Gallows Hill and one man was sentenced to death by stone after refusing to stand trial (An Account). The members of the special court offered
Mertig 6 apologies to the people and some of the names of the people accused and hung were cleared. The name clearing still continues today (Salem Transcription