The Salem Witch Trials

    The Salem Witch Trials are an example of people not being treated in a just or fair way and not being respectful of people who are different. The deaths of 25 innocent people was caused by the Salem Witch Trials. 

     In 1692 in Salem Village, young girls claimed that unseen agents or forces afflicted them (afflicted = affected).  A special court was set up in Salem to hear the witchcraft cases when the mass hysteria (craziness) erupted in Colonial Massachusetts in 1692.. 

Who were the victims and suspects?

     If anybody suspected that a death or illness had been brought on by witchcraft, they could request a trial. The witch would then be arrested. Bridget Bishop was the first convicted witch that was hanged in June 1992. 

   After Bridget Bishop, 18 others were hanged on Gallows Hill in Salem. The majority of the people who accused the girls of being witches were other girls under 20 years old.

     The first witch to confess was Tituba. Tituba was a slave girl who worked in the home of Reverend Samuel Parris. In January 1692, Reverend Parris's daughter Betty and niece Abigail Williams became mysteriously ill. The doctor worried that someone was performing witchcraft to punish Reverend Parris.

     The girls blamed Tituba and she was accused of being a witch. Tituba confessed in order to avoid punishment. In her confession, Tituba apologized and said she never wanted to hurt Betty and Abigail.  After Tituba's confession, a fear spread that there were more witches in Salem. Many other women were accused of being a witch especially if they looked or acted in a different way.

How To test if A PERson is a witch?                    

    One of the tests was the swimming test. When the accused was pulled into a body of water, if they floated they were called a witch. If they sank, they would be marked innocent even though they would drown. 

     Another test was the prayer test. People said witches couldn't recite passages from the Bible without making a mistake.  If the accused messed up while they were reciting the Bible, they would be marked “witch”. But even if they said the Bible perfectly, the plan of hanging them would carry on. So they were considered guilty before the test was even given!

     There is also the touch test. In the touch test, whoever was being affected would meet the person who affected them. The accused witch would come into a room and place their hand on the person they were supposedly affecting. If nothing happened,  the accused witch would be marked innocent. But if the person came out of their fit, (also known as the brain) that would mean the person who affected them had put them under a spell. 

    A final test is called Witch's Cake. A witch's cake is made using rye flour and the urine from the witch's victim. The cake was then fed to a dog, and if the dog suffered the same symptoms as the victim, this "proved" there was witchcraft involved. Then the dog would point to the witch. 

What is Witchcraft?

     Witchcraft is a type of magic that is mainly associated with being under the control of the  devil. Some people think witches learn and practice witchcraft to do spells, voodoo, make potions, and perform other sorts of magic.

     Sometimes if someone did not understand why something happened or why someone got sick, they would blame a witch. People who used plants and herbs to help treat and cure sicknesses were sometimes accused by others of being a witch even though they were really trying to help people get healthy.

How did the Salem Witch Trials end?

     In Salem Village, a total of 144 people were accused of being a witch. Fifty-four people confessed to being a witch probably so they could escape death or severe punishment. People who "confessed" to being a witch were forced to "reveal" other witches and act as witnesses at the trials of other accused witches.

     Twenty people were convicted of being a witch and executed (killed). Three people died in prison before their trials, and others were killed by the tests that were given to determine if someone was a witch.

     Eventually people in Salem began to realize that the witch hunts and trials in Salem village were wrong. Judge Samuel Sewall was the first judge that began to doubt the stories of witch accusers, and eventually the General Court agreed with Samuel Sewall that the Witch Trials were wrong. They said the trials were unlawful in 1702. 

     The judges, jury and accusers of the Massachusetts Witch Trials publicly apologized after recognizing the witch trials were wrong. 

ARe witchES REAL?

     Through the years, there have been many legends, folktales, movies, and stories from all around the world about witches. Some famous books about witches are The Witches by Roald Dahl, The Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum, and Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling.

    Some cultures have a great fear of witches because they believe that witches are servants of the devil. In other cultures "witches" are actually healers who use traditional plants and herbs to help heal sicknesses. Other people believe that witches are just make-believe myths and fantasy. What do you think?